Truth

Despite the dragon's claim of complete, unlimited knowledge, I still am questioning him and whether or not he is actually a real being or just a figment of Grendel's imagination. Grendel, unhinged by the Shaper's words, visits the dragon to find answers to his questions about order, language, and truth. The dragon tells him that the Shaper's words are an "illusion of reality," and that they only serve to make the men think that there is meaning in the universe. In a way, when the dragon says this, it makes you think that he just wants you to believe what he says, but he is actually telling the truth, or at least the majority of it. The Shaper, on the other hand, has become quite untrustworthy in my mind and is hard to trust. Although I definitely favor the dragon over the Shaper, the dragon’s charm, which renders Grendel physically invulnerable, is both a blessing and a curse. At first, Grendel rejoices in the feelings of superiority this new power affords him. He enjoys feeling strong and superhuman in front of the creatures who once made him feel confused and ashamed. At the same time, however, Grendel also feels lonelier than ever before. Even though Grendel considers man’s moral and religious systems ridiculous at this point, he nevertheless has—perhaps subconsciously—found a way to experience the kind of connectedness such systems provide their believers. The dragon’s charm, however, destroys that sense of connectedness, preventing Grendel from ever fully engaging in his battles with the humans, and ensuring his separation and disconnection from them. To conclude, I think that the dragon is more trustworthy and all around better compared to the Shaper, but neither of them are very moral or good beings all around.