Dwelling at the Gates of Difference: The Intersection of Beowulf, American Politics, and Monsters

Many political scientists, legal scholars, and American citizens have found themselves dedicating a great deal of time to asking why American politics has become so largely polarized over the last 10 years. We are seeing more than ever political acts of violence, families and friendships dissolved over political disagreements. We are witnessing the liquidation of civility in American politics, with a staple of current political debates being personal insults and aggression. Attitudes towards women have become more hostile and negative, attitudes towards transgender Americans have become more disparaging and dangerous. These political opponents become scapegoats and are dehumanized and politically monstered, and political followers on social media gleefully and openly further this monstering. In Beowulf two main groups receive the treatment of political monstering, women and queer individuals. Monsters like Grendel and his mother are made monstrous because of their transgressions towards society’s standards and expectations. Humans like Wealhtheow, Modthryth, and Hrothgar show us that the effects of political monstering enact influence on more than just their targets. Analyzing these characters and the strategy behind their monstering in juxtaposition to Supreme Court cases Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), executive orders from President Trump, and attitudes towards certain individuals exhibited through various media sources, we see the shocking similarities between the two.