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and the Grinch have very similar ideas of how to deal with their situations. The Grinch turns to theft as the solution to his problem. He steals everything that the Whos associate with Christmas. This is not unlike the way that Grendel deals with his problem. He strikes out in violence and murder. Since the Grinch is the less horrible version of a villain his offense seems a lesser wrong than murder, yet both creatures use crime as a response to their feelings. Grendel attacks his victims while they are "asleep from their feasting" using the cover of the night for his crimes (Beowulf 35). Like Grendel, the Grinch also completes his task during the night while the "Whos lay a-snooze" (Seuss).

The key difference in Grendel and the Grinch lies within their ability to understand others. Grendel's flaw is that he "would never / parley or make peace with any Dane / nor stop his death-dealing nor pay the death-price" (Beowulf 36). The only reason that Grendel will stop his rampage is that he is destroyed. On the other hand, the Grinch is open to reason with the Whos. He changes his ways, returns the stolen goods, and is able to join society. Grendel's fate is much more tragic. He is destroyed because instead of reasoning with society, he goes against it. He is never able to be a part of any celebration.

Grendel and the Grinch are similar in many ways. Yet, Dr. Seuss's version of the evil demon from Beowulf is able to overcome his misery, while Grendel only ultimately destroys himself.

Works Cited

Beowulf. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. Abrams, M.H. New York:
W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2000. 29-99.

Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary. November 2001. Accessed 2 Nov 2003.
< http://www.etymonline.com/>.

He lterman, Jeffrey. "Beowulf: The Archetype Enters History." ELH. Vol. 35. Mar. 1968.

Seuss, Dr. How the Grinch Stole Christmas. New York: Random House, 1957. .

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