No. Compared to humans, Grendel is also an intelligent being, capable of thinking, speaking, and rationalizing. An animal is therefore not what it is. He constantly whispers things to himself and even when he spoke to humans, they were able to understand to some extent that he was speaking and understand what he was saying. “'Come, come,' I said. “Let me tell them I was sent by Sideways-Walker” (Gardner 83). Grendel is also capable of thinking; “Strange thoughts invade me. I think of the past of the past” (Gardner 146). When Grendel's leg was stuck between two trees and he suffered continuous attacks from a charging bull, he was able to think and understand that the bull would always strike low. “He struck too low, and even in my terror I understood that he would always strike too low…” (Gardner 21). Control over one's actions is one of the few advantages that intelligent beings possess in their nature. As we deciphered in the previous paragraphs, Grendel is considered an intelligent being, but he nevertheless chooses to harm others of his own will. As mentioned, animals don't have the ability to rationalize or even think, so they kill because they need to. But Grendel, on the other hand, is intelligent, so he killed with determination, whether they were foul or honest. “I decided to destroy it – slowly and cruelly” (Gardner 30). This proves that even with the presence of free software