Thesis in ‘Grendel’ much of the internal conflict came from components of his individual psyche and influenced the way the world was portrayed around him. When it comes to the components of the psychoanalytic perspective there are three main parts to focus on: the id, the superego and the ego. First, the id is incredibly prevalent in ‘Grendel’ for many reasons, but one being that it can be interpreted as the monster inside of you or the voice telling you to indulge in what makes you happy. This can be seen in this relates to Grendel especially well since he is a monster on the outside and these actions are expected of him, so the internal conflict to fall for his nature is endless. Secondly, the superego which controls Grendel morally and guides him on what to do. It impacts Grendel when he needs to decide how he feels about something morally. Finally, his superego which is the cause of his guilt and other things that control him this is how he reflects morally on the things he's done.
The id is the instinctual nature of the character that controls their most native actions. According to William Siegfried of Florida Atlantic University, “The id is the unorganized part of the psyche that contains a human’s instinctual drives. The id is the only part of the psyche that is present at birth and it is the source of our bodily needs, wants desires, and impulses” (Siegfried, 1). Grendel's natural desires manifest themselves in many ways for one in Chapter 10, when he comes into contact the goat its stubbornness enrages him and it causes him to skewer it. This was out of pure spite and rage there was no thought put into this action there was no debate or consensus objection to the act it was pure desire to kill and act on his instincts.
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“I watch a great horned goat ascend the rocks toward my mere... I am suddenly annoyed, no longer amused by his stupidity” (Gardner, 139-140). Grendel's ego drives him to commit acts of pure violence that he would normally not engage in if he was constantly in a balance.
The superego is the control that society and an individual's morals have on the impact of their decisions. Like the id, the superego has a component of desire but this is desire is a desire to conform or to fit in rather than a natural desire. “The superego is thus a precipitate of family life. It is an agency that seeks to enforce the striving for perfection” (Lapsley, Stye, 6). This strive for perfection and conformity drives Grendel in some of the decisions he makes. In Chapter 2, when Grendel is stuck in a tree, he comes into contact with humans for the first time they are under the impression that he is a tree spirit. His superego is represented in this scene because he wants to conform and communicate with these people but he is unable to. “Before I knew I could do it I laughed they jerked away and stood to shake” (Gardner, 26).
The ego is the combination of the natural aspects of a character and combining them to get one's true personality. “The ego being a coherent organization of mental processes” (Siegfried, 2). While the superego and id constantly fight against each other for control over the actions of the entity which harbors them the ego is the true self-being shown to everyone. The ego is the common ground between the ego and superego it is the compromise that is shown to everyone.
In ‘Grendel’, this is shown when Grendel says: “I am terrified at the sound of my own huge voice in the darkness” (Gardner, 10). This shows how Grendel is afraid of the conflict inside of himself of the immense power he holds that he is not sure what he wants to do with. This is his ego, his confliction inside, and it influences the way he behaves throughout the rest of the story.
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