Human experience is the understanding or skill that is consequent from direct observation or contribution. Throughout the novels and short stories we read during this semester, there was an underlying message of human experience. The understandings the characters go through transform them emotionally, logically, and or spiritually, such as “Grendel” by John Gardner and “Swamplandia!” by Karen Russell. In both “Grendel” and “Swamplandia!”, Grendel and Kiwi has the need to fit in and go through being lonely. Grendel struggles with rational complications and wishes to be a part of human society; he goes to the Dragon and the Shaper for help and is exposed different point of views of the world. As for Kiwi, he leaves Swamplandia and seeks out into …show more content…
While working in The World of Darkness, he meets Vijay. Kiwi starts to follow what Vijay does and starts to learn new words, ““Bong” was on a list of twenty-three new mainland vocabulary words that Kiwi had acquired just that week. “Dude, do you blaze?” … “You want a hit?” (78). Kiwi shows a sense of wanting to fit in when he follows Vijay around and learns about smoking weed and new ‘slang’ terms. Kiwi gets a sense of loneliness and sadness when he realizes that the current state he is at is depressing, “This is not forever, Kiwi would think as he held his breath and plunged one of the World of Darkness…” (86). Kiwi notices how this is not the life he wants to live and is all alone with noone. Ever since Kiwi ran away from the swamp, he became lonelier and sad because of where he is working and the fact that he has no one to be with. Kiwi starts to realize that Vijay was his only friend and always is by his side, “Vijay Montanez, Kiwi realized, was actually an angel disguised in smelly A-necks and skunk-striped Adidas breakaway pants. Vijay was a wonderful aberration in the World of Darkness’s social universe- he seemed to feel a sincere fraternal affection for Kiwi, and he defended Kiwi’s dorkiness to the other workers…” (88). Kiwi realizes that the only person that is there for him is Vijay because of how loyal he is towards Kiwi. Unlike other co-workers, Vijay did not care if Kiwi was socially awkward and