In a statement from 1981, Martin Camargo asserts that Beowulf, an "exemplary pagan," falls as far short of the Christain ideal as Grendel falls short of Beowulf. I agree with this statement for several reasons. First, I do not think that Beowulf is in any way modest; he is in fact very proud. In the mead hall he boasts of his heroic deeds. Another reason I agree with this statement is that the afterlife is not seen as something better in Beowulf. Instead, the people of Beowulf are concerned with performing heroic deeds and making a name for themselves, because they believe that their name is what will live on after their death. In our society the majority of people believe that our souls live on after our death, but people still try to leave something of themselves behind, whether it is their name or some sort of contribution to benefit following generations of people.
In 1990 George Clark argues that the narration of the hero's three battles moves from optimistic certainty that the world order is knowable and benevolent to doubt, leaving fame as the only sure value. I also agree with this argument. In Beowulf's first battle against Grendel, the sides are obvious. Good versus evil. Beowulf the proud, accomplished hero versus Grendel the horrific man-eating monster. The outcome is good clearly triumphing over evil. Beowulf's second battle against Grendel's mother is not as certain as his first battle against Grendel. When Grendel's mother attacks she comes to the mead hall suddenly, unlike the description of Grendel going to the mead hall, which takes up almost twenty lines. And when Beowulf actually fights Grendel's mother it is more of a struggle; he is pinned down and almost stabbed before he becomes the victor. In this second battle, good and evil are not as clearly defined. Grendel's mother only attacks the hall to avenge her son's death. This is a reason I believe even Beowulf would accept, because the concept of 'an eye for an eye' is shown as a reasonable value earlier in Beowulf. Beowulf's final battle against the dragon is the most uncertain. From the beginning there is little hope of Beowulf succeeding, and good and evil are also not obvious in this battle. Both the dragon and Beowulf are motivated by their own sense of duty- Beowulf to protect his people and the dragon to guard his treasure. The battle is drawn-out and arduous, and both the dragon and Beowulf perish, Beowulf leaving his name to live on after him. In the end, as George Clark argues, the only sure value left is fame.