The Idea Of Perfection In Grendel By John Gardner

The Idea of Perfection in an Imperfect World Society has become addicted to achieving perfection. Its precedence can be seen in every aspect of life from sports to appearance. The illusion of human perfection motivates great feats yet it can also be the cause of infamous failures. Famous coach and commonly quoted motivator John Wooden once said â€Å"Perfection is impossibility but striving for perfect is not. Do the best you can. That is what counts.† Working for an idea or belief that is unreachable or in some cases may not even exist seems futile, but the success of the attempt does not outweigh the presence of the effort. The idea of perfection is unachievable because everything has flaws, but the path to perfection is walkable. In his†¦show more content†¦Along with this comes the authoritative voice, but also the ability to public speak. The point that Grendel focuses on is Beowulf’s eye contact or lack thereof. He pinpoints each aspect of Beowulf that d oes not fit the expectation and obsesses over it the same way one fixates on their own imperfections. These minuscule oddities are the only faults Grendel finds which serves to his discomfort because he is not able to understand Beowulf since he is so wholesome. The peculiarities Grendel preoccupies himself with are faults that in society are often not even counted as actual flaws. Grendel is so blinded with his misunderstanding of Beowulf that he cannot see his humanistic flaws or interior flaws, and since Grendel is the narrator the absence of these shows the tendency to look for any possible errors. Perfection is so sought after that even the closest attempts to it are ripped down by criticism. The problem with perfection is that there is no definition, an individual or even a majority does not truly know when perfection is even achieved. Gardner’s verbal irony highlights Grendel’s fear for the unknown, establishing that because of the discrepancy perfection creates among individuals it will never be attained. While Grendel examines Beowulf he undergoes a fit of horror, once it passes he proclaims, â€Å"Except for his curious beardlessness, there is nothing frighteningShow MoreRelatedJoker and Batman Essay9227 Words   |  37 Pagesofficial credit for the character. Batmans secret identity is Bruce Wayne, billionaire industrialist, playboy, and philanthropist. Witnessing the murder of his parents as a child leads him to train himself to the peak of physical and intellectual perfection, don a costume, and fight crime. Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess any superhuman powers or abilities; he makes use of intellect, detective skills, technology, and physical prowess in his war on crime. Contents [hide] 1 Publication