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  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!