In the novel Grendel, by John Gardner, the author associates each chapter with a different zodiac sign, such as Aries, Gemini and Sagittarius, not only to enhance the role of astrology nature in the story, but also to better chronologize Grendel's growth and retirement in his philosophical development. Furthermore, this designation also mimics what he struggles to grasp: the awareness of the continuation of the universe without him after his death, even though his world has come to an end. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay By beginning the novel with the first sign, Aries, Gardner introduces the stereotypical trait of cyclical thinking. The ram, which is the symbol of Aries, indicates another coming spring, prompting Grendel to lash out as he finds himself trapped in an "endless progression of moon and stars" (p.5). Not only does the “cyclical” line indicate that Grendel is frustrated by the endless cycle he feels stuck in, but, along with the mention of “moon and stars,” it clues the reader into using signs as a vehicle to communicate Grendel's cycle from the existentialist to the empiricist to the nihilist and back again. In other words, the claim that Grendel's very existence is, in itself, precisely the circular, repetitive process that he detests. The reader travels with Grendel through his experiences and stages of philosophical thought. From him realizing that “he alone creates the universe, blink by blink” (p.22) after being attacked by the Taurus bull – inaugurating his stay in an existential mindset – to his head that “ splits” (p.44) in dual realities under Gemini. That division within him – a creation of the Gemini symbol, the twins – is used to illustrate the fervor and inner turmoil he feels as he is torn between that newfound existentialism and the tempting lies of religion that the Shaper brings with him. The Shaper, a harpist who sings of a loving God to the Danes, the denizens of the young king Hrothgar's mead hall, is also a demonstration of those witty, sweetly eloquent Gemini traits he uses to trap his subjects under the aegis. pleasant lies of a benevolent force that causes all things to happen for a reason; allowing emotional humans to feel that their struggles are not in vain. Grendel, however, his cold, inhuman audience, remains stuck somewhere between the notions of the inanimate, unfeeling universe he feels he has come to know and a paternal, caring, Cancer-like God depicted by this man who nurtures and feeds through false hopes. - what he discovers he has the ability to want and to be seduced by, just as the Danes do and can do. Later in the novel, when Grendel has accepted his role as "the Destroyer" (p. 72-73) and as a nihilist, both ideas presented to him by the Lion-like Dragon, he begins as such by wreaking havoc in the mead hall . During this attack, the reader suddenly finds himself in the grave realization that Grendel's life will soon end; a sudden deviation that distances them from the previous point of view they shared with him. Under the sign of Sagittarius, whose image is an archer, Grendel sees a Scylding hunter shooting down a deer with a bow and arrow, foreshadowing his own impending death. The demolition of his philosophical growth also occurs when he comes across the false priests who preach religion but do not practice anything, representatives of the centaur (the half-man, half-horse beast) who is the archer of Sagittarius. While Grendel unconsciously and carelessly awaits the arrival of the “water bearer” (p.151) of Pisces – the Geat Beowulf –.