Preview
Introduction to Nihilism Lecture
Please take notes as you view and listen to
the lecture on Nihilism.
 At the end, you should be able to briefly
summarize what the philosophy of
Nihilism is, and provide examples.

 Please take 2 minutes to
review your notes on Nihilism,
then with a partner, discuss
the answer to the question:
 What is Nihilism?
Nihilism in Literature:
Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more; it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
- William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Analysis
The Dragon is a key character – foreshadowed in
earlier chapters, and mentioned again in later
chapters. He has a major influence on Grendel.
 The Dragon is one of the few “black or white”
characters. He is evil personified.
 The Dragon is intimidating, pompous, like an evil
god with omnipotent powers.
 The Dragon is the “snake” – leading Grendel
away from any attempt at goodness or to better
himself.


The Dragon is a nihilist, as he believes in
“nothingness,” and he advocates violence
and destruction toward the world and others.
 Destruction and violence is the meaning that he
has established for himself.

As a nihilist, he also rejects all established
laws and authorities.
Believing in a pointless, meaningless
existence, the dragon tells Grendel that
each lifetime is just a “swirl in the
stream of time” (70).
 But, Grendel questions the dragon:
“Why shouldn’t one change one’s ways,
improve one’s character?” (72).


How does the Dragon influence Grendel?
 Introduces him to materialism—the philosophical
idea that only things matter.
 Materialists worship possessions and discount
spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values.

How does the Dragon influence Grendel?
 Introduces the idea that “greed is good.”
 The Dragon’s treasure hoard is symptomatic of
and a symbol for a selfish world characterized by
greed and conquest.

How does the Dragon influence Grendel?
 Introduces the idea that “destruction is good.”
 Notice the Dragons’ association with violence. He
calls “boobies, hemorrhoids, boils, [and] slaver”
valuable “stuff” (59). These would be the
dismembered parts of those he has killed in
conquest of adding to his treasure trove.
The Dragon suggests that the only way for Grendel to find
meaning in his life is to become evil. See pp. 72-73.
 The dragon explains that Grendel’s brutality and attacks are
needed. (The dragon wants Grendel to be destructive; he is a
nihilist). The dragon influences Grendel to continue down a
“dark path” by illuminating Grendel’s identity further:

 “You improve them, my boy! Can't you see that yourself? You stimulate
them! You make them think and scheme. You drive them to poetry,
science, religion, all that makes them what they are for as long as they
last. You are, so to speak, the brute existent by which they learn to define
themselves. [. . .] You are mankind, or man's condition. [. . .] If you
withdraw, you’ll instantly be replaced” (72-73).


Grendel tells the dragon that the humans can “find some
other ‘brute existent,’” and that he “refuses” to be their
destructive force.
The dragon sarcastically responds to Grendel, telling him
to “Alter the future! Make the world a better place in
which to live! Help the poor! Feed the hungry! Be kind to
idiots! What a challenge!” (73).
 The Dragon mocks those who desire to live well and
purposefully. To the dragon, it really makes no difference,
because it is all pointless anyway. It doesn’t matter if you do
good or do harm. It is all meaningless. It will all end in a “silent
universe.”

“Nevertheless, something will come of all
this,” I said.
“Nothing,” he said. “A brief pulsation in the
black hole of eternity. My advice to you—”
“Wait and see,” I said.
He shook his head.
“My advice to you, my violent friend, is to
seek out gold and sit on it” (74).
The dragon provides Grendel with a glimpse of the true
nature of time, which the dragon is able to see stretching
out toward both its beginning and its end.
 The dragon claims that time is like a black hole, eventually
destroying everything in the universe. In the vast span of
time, the entirety of mankind’s history registers little more
than a brief flash.
 The dragon, with this immense, cosmic vision, can see
little point in religion, poetry, or any of the other things
that humankind invents in order to make its short stay in
the universe more meaningful and significant.
 Grendel understands the dragon’s point on an
intellectual level, but he nonetheless continues to hope
and push for a meaningful result once his questioning
reaches a resolution.

The dragon rebuff’s each of Grendel’s questions
with a cold, empirical retort. The dragon refuses
to let Grendel slip into what he feels are naïve
emotions.
 The dragon values money because its presence
is tangible, knowable, and rational.
 While the Shaper lures Grendel’s mind away to
more abstract thoughts of love, beauty, and art,
the dragon incessantly pushes Grendel toward a
clear-eyed, cold-blooded intellectualism.


PROMPT #1: In a well-developed literary analysis
essay, discuss how the dragon dissuades Grendel from
accepting the meaning of life through the ideas and
words of the humans and the Shaper, and encourages
him to embrace a philosophy of Nihilism.

PROMPT #2: In a well-developed literary analysis
essay, discuss how the author uses literary elements to
characterize the Dragon as an evil being.
Typed – MLA Format – Minimum 2 Pages
Due by Tomorrow!