A Look at the Character of the Shaper in John Gardner's Grendel

In John Gardner's "Grendel", the Shaper is perhaps one of the most powerful characters. He directs the hearts of men and instills within their minds ideas of pride and strength and victory. He illustrates hopes for the future, images of the wealth and harmony that lie ahead for the Danes. He paves the past behind them, telling stories of what once was, and how things came to be. Though blind to the light of the world, his inner vision is too bright to be ignored, and even the heart of a friendless monster is touched by this Shaper's designs, and he is moved to tears. The Shaper is merely a man, but he is also a weaver of a special kind of reality: the kind we choose to believe. But what of these illusions, the remolding of the past and present, the promises of a more beautiful future? As Grendel points out during his conflicted moments before his conversion, did we "kill each other more gently because in the woods sweet songbirds sang?" 

It's difficult to imagine a world with no illusion. If we could only speak the truth, if we were stripped of the ability to lie to ourselves… I don't think it's possible, given our nature, but if it were possible, would such a thing be beneficial? Humans are both more intelligent and more emotional than other creatures, but we often allow our hearts to override logical thought. Our emotions demand security and comfort, companionship and hope. In a place without shapers, what would become of our use of the word love? What would happen to what we call bravery, nobility, faith, and ambition? What would happen to our humanity without these ideas?