I think that Blake and Gardner stand on the same ground concerning how society operates between the lucky and the poor. This is the same ground where the “Tree of Mystery” Blake speaks of in “The Human Abstract” grows on humility. In the paired Songs of Innocence poem Blake describes “The Divine Image”, an ideal destination achieved when mercy, pity, peace, and love are prayed upon until they meet together in the human form to create delight. Thankfully, Blake shatters this unsupported illusion and, in a slap-to-the-face-to-all-hopeful-optimists, he shuns this belief damning it merely as an Image, something the abstract human can never form to. That was mostly me talking though. I’ll acknowledge that Blake had no preference over either side. Gardner’s Grendel supports many of Blake’s arguments, as Grendel is the unlucky creature that must stand in darkness so the light can be appreciated. Grendel is humanized even if he must represent the darkness, showing respect to both sides. The first lines of “The Human Abstract” speak the purpose of Grendel’s existence. “Poor” (Gardner 174) Grendel must be made “Poor” (Blake 2) and unhappy for pity and mercy to exist. The fear that he brings upon the society of Hrothgar instils a mutual fear among the people, letting peace form. Grendel’s unhappiness allows the Comitatus to exist. Blake claims most of the negativity in the world begins at the point when Cruelty spreads “his baits with care”. This could be read as Cruelty spreading the traps cautiously and carefully, but I truly think Blake means to say that the trap is built WITH care. Man is initially lead towards his downfall by his surrender to care. I think this means that the beginning of Grendel’s real fall is when he approaches the mead hall with the body he finds. At this point, he’s ready to believe everything The Shaper says, and he brings the body back to the town purely out of care. He makes himself completely vulnerable to the town and cries out “Mercy! Peace!”. Sounds familiar? Grendel wants mercy - something Blake believes cannot exist without unhappiness - and Peace - that of which cannot exist without fear. Unexpectedly, Grendel’s wishes are granted as he is shunned, and Grendel fulfills his role and the Poor and the Unaccepted. Blake outlines the progress of this darkness in his poetry. The subject (implied Grendel) falls to the ground and waters the ground with tears of fear. Humility takes root, and mystery grows from this humility. I think that because humility follows vulnerability, a commitment to doubt (mystery) grows so that humility will never be experienced again. Usually care and humility occur when uncertainty is ignored, and uneducated impulse takes over. Still, Mystery is rather paralyzing. Grendel gathers The Dragon’s and The Shaper’s ideas, and battles between them throughout the novel. He lives in mystery and feeds on the fruits of “Deceit”. This could be connected to the tree of knowledge, and how some believe knowledge deceives. Grendel is forced to this limbo of misery so the privileged can experience happiness. I think both Gardner and Blake understood that there has to be an isolated child of Omelas to stand on so that the distant and divine virtues we crave are that much closer in reach.
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