In 1971, John Gardner changed the way people think about the English epic poem Beowulf when he published his novel Grendel. In his retelling of the story from the perspective of the monster Grendel, he repeatedly references the philosophy of solipsism: the belief that oneself is the only thing that exists and matters. As Gardner's narrative progresses, Grendel's solipsistic outlook proves to be exactly the trait that leads him to commit horrible and sometimes evil acts. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At the beginning of the novel, as Grendel sets the stage and explains how his battle with the Scylding began, he also establishes his solipsism. He claims to have “understood that the world was nothing: a mechanical chaos of casual and brutal enmity upon which we foolishly impose our hopes and fears. I understood that, finally and absolutely, only I exist. Everything else, I saw, is simply what pushes me, or what I push back against, blindly, as blindly as everything that is not me pushes back. I create the entire universe, blink by blink of an eye” (22). This is a classic pattern of solipsism. Grendel believes that the rest of the world he can see and interact with exists only in relation to himself. In this way, the Danes exist only to provide Grendel with an enemy or to amuse himself and relieve his boredom. Grendel also believes that he has the power to control what exists around him, changing things into what he wants them to be by the will of his mind. He says, “Mountains are what I call them.” (28).However, solipsism becomes a harmful life philosophy when it comes to how one interacts with others. Because solipsists believe that no one outside of themselves truly exists or matters, they may reason that their actions against others have no consequences. Regarding others, Grendel says, “The world is all a useless accident” (28) and “everything I do not see is useless, empty.” (29). Since Grendel believes these things to be true, it does not seem morally wrong for him to torture and kill humans. After all, for him they don't really exist. It is morally acceptable for Grendel to terrorize them for his own gain and entertainment because it is the only thing that really exists in the world. Therefore, can we really hold Grendel responsible for the things he did while he only knew and believed in a branch of philosophy that tells him it is not morally wrong to do so? In chapter 7 of the novel, Grendel first stops himself from an evil act when he leaves Wealtheow alive after attacking her and intending to kill her. Grendel acts morally, leaving her alive because Wealtheow challenges Grendel's solipsism, which is what leads him to commit immoral acts. In contrast to the belief that only ourselves exist, Wealtheow is the picture of altruism, putting others before oneself. Wealtheow willingly agreed to marry her brother's enemy to save her own people. He acts kindly towards Hrothgar's people, even serving them in their mead. His actions confuse Grendel and, albeit unconsciously, make him question his own beliefs. This is why he allows her to live, even though solipsism tells him that her life doesn't matter. In the final stages of the novel, Grendel is forced by Beowulf to reject his solipsism. After Beowulf bangs his head against a wall, forcing him to admit that the wall exists outside of him and that he didn't create it, Grendel says, "Every rock, every tree, every snow crystal screams cold-blooded objectivity. .I understand” (172). In his final moments, Grendel accepts that his vision.