Anthony Lai, Peiod 7, 3/1/24

Anthony K Lai

Modern Mythology 2024

Research Paper

Existentialism, Nihilism, and Grendel

    As of this blog, we have read through 6 chapters of Grendel by John Gardner, exploring his journey through the world mentally and physically. An interesting theme of Grendel we have explored is the concept of existentialism, nihilism, and finding meaning in life. In class we had broken down how John Gardner’s life had influenced his writing, from the guilt he held onto from accidentally killing his younger brother to how the vietnam war and disillusionment with the world had led to Gardner writing Grendel the way he did. Mrs. Fusaro had even left us with a task one day to have an existential crisis of our own! After mulling over my own and hearing other peoples’ crises and complaints about life, I wanted to do some more research on how existentialism persists today. We can look to mental health statistics to explore modern existentialism, as people who are socially isolated, lonely or depressed often develop thoughts of life being meaningless. (Stillman, Tyler F, et al). In the researchers’ experiment they found that people who faced rejection from another to meet in person to talk had felt there was less meaning in life afterward, compared to those who faced acceptance feeling there was meaning. This research rings close to home. In fact, I do feel lonelier when I am not around people or even worse if I know they deliberately do not want to be around me. And when we think about how so many people are shut away behind closed doors staring at screens nowadays it's no wonder that mental health issues are rising in the 21st century, lack of human contact has been driving us towards existential dread! The researchers also did a surprisingly relatable experiment in which participants played catch with each other, testing if people who received the ball more times than others felt better than people who received it less. The results proved the hypothesis true, the people who received the ball less felt lonelier and therefore felt less meaning in life than others. (Stillman, Tyler F, et al). This shocked me when I read it because I have played catch and been the person to receive it more at times and less at times, feeling the same way those participants did, this is why I try to pass the ball to whoever hasn’t been participating as much whenever I play team games.

    Our learning of folklore connects to existentialism due to the fact that oftentimes like in Greek mythology and Grendel, literature reflects the writer’s own culture, beliefs and feelings at the time. Thanks to folklore, we can get a grasp of how people in the past have found meaning in their lives whether it's religion, a way of living or some other valued idea. We can still see this expression of culture and thoughts in our modern media everywhere, not a day goes by without me seeing some form of art, video, or writing that exclaims someone's thoughts, concerns and wishes. If I had one prayer for people it would be to find their meaning as I have, even if it brings them turmoil they must grip onto it with unwavering resolve lest they sink into nihilism and meaningless.

Works cited

Stillman, Tyler F, et al. “Alone and without Purpose: Life Loses Meaning Following Social Exclusion.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2009, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2717555/.