Grendel is considered a parody because Gardner makes the reader see each character differently.
In Grendel, Grendel is a funny, sarcastic character unlike his role in Beowulf. For example, In Chapter 7, he says “I would begin by holding her over the fire and cooking the ugly hole between her legs.” (109).This, and many other quotes, shows his dark humor. Grendel also use makes fun of Unferth by throwing apples at him, causing Unferth to “cry.” He also humiliates Unferth by not killing him (This angers Unferth because if he does not die, then he will not be remembered.). The dragon is seen as a wise, old dragon instead of a powerful creature in Beowulf. One way that Gardner makes the dragon old and wise is because at the end of Chapter 5, the dragon tells Grendel to find gold and sit on it.
Gardner makes fun of these and many other characters. This has an effect on readers because Gardner makes the readers see the characters differently than what they thought in Beowulf.
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