Comparing Gilgamesh and Jack and the Beanstalk
Omar Hinojosa
Scholars compare two books that seem completely different but have some similarities. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story with the protagonist Gilgamesh who is the king of Uruk. Gilgamesh is very powerful and looked up to since he is two-thirds god and one-third man. Gilgamesh is accompanied by a friend whose name is Enkidu. Enkidu was made by God and his reason was to keep Gilgamesh in check. “Jack and the Beanstalk” is about a boy and his family who have a single cow that is their only source of income. One day their cow isn’t feeling well and they make the ultimate decision to sell it. Jack proceeds to go to a town where he sells the cow for beans that the seller claims are magical. Jack doesn’t want to go deeper into town so he agrees to the deal and sells his cow for the beans. When he arrives home his mom is very upset and throws the bean out of the window. The next morning Jack sees that it became a giant beanstalk that has reached the clouds. Jack decides to climb it and finds a huge castle where he sneaks into trying to avoid a giant and finds riches. When he leaves the castle the giant tries to get him but falls and dies. Gilgamesh and Jack and the Beanstalk are similar in their characters and plot while they differ in character backgrounds.
Readers may have read both of these you may have seen in Gilgamesh that he had a desire to fight Humbaba and Jack have a desire to climb the Beanstalk.. “Humbaba’s mouth is fire; his roar of water; his breath is death. Enlil made him guardian of the Cedar Forest, to frighten off the mortal who would venture there. But who would venture there? Humbaba’s mouth is fire; his roar is the floodwater; he breathes and there is death. He hears the slightest sound somewhere in the Forest. Enlil made him a terrifying guardian, Whose mouth is fire, whose roar the floodwater.” In “Jack and the Beanstalk,” Jack has a desire to climb the huge beanstalk that grows in his backyard. “Convinced that a magic bean was worth a lot and being too lazy to go all the way into town, Jack agreed to the deal and returned home. His mother, however, was furious. In a rage, she threw the bean out the window and spent the night sobbing. In the morning, the small family realized the bean had grown into a giant beanstalk, reaching up into the sky and piercing through the clouds. A curious Jack decided to climb up the stalk.” As you can see both of these characters enjoy adventures and have strong desires. Now that you see some similarities between the protagonists you will see some similarities in the plot.
Gilgamesh and “Jack and the Beanstalk” are very similar in plot. In Gilgamesh, he has a buddy known as Enkidu who helps him for most of the journey and significantly during Gilgamesh’s clash with Humbaba. This quote explains, “Dear friend, don't let another moment go on kill Humbaba quickly!” In Jack and the Beanstalk Jack wasn’t as close to the person who helped him but the giantess definitely is the reason he was able to make it into the castle. Here it says, “A curious Jack decided to climb up the stalk. At the top, Jack found a huge castle belonging to a giant. He slipped in and, with the help of a friendly giantess, managed to avoid being detected by a rather bloodthirsty giant.” This giantess doesn’t help as crucially as Enkidu. However, Both Enkidu and the Giantess help the heroes get what they want. You may start seeing a lot of similarities but Gilgamesh and “Jack and the Beanstalk,” but also have some crucial differences.
Gilgamesh and Jack and the Beanstalk are very different in character backgrounds because Gilgamesh has always been seen as almighty and powerful. He is filled with confidence and riches. However, Jack is poor, as he is an unknown person with a cow who is his only source of income. These two are definitely different in their backgrounds and where they come from. “He had seen everything, had experienced all emotions, / from exaltation to despair,” says the narrator. On the other hand, in “Jack and the Beanstalk,” the story starts with, “There once was a poor young boy named Jack who lived with his mother and their one and only milking cow. There came a day when the cow became too old, and she stopped giving milk. Because she was the impoverished family's only source of income, there was nothing for them to do but sell her.” As you can see these two characters have two very different backgrounds.
In conclusion, Gilgamesh and “Jack and the Beanstalk” both share some similarities but also share some differences. They both have a strong motivation to go on adventures, for example, Gilgamesh beat Humababa to look almighty, and Jack really wants to help his family. They also share similarities in the plot as you see that Gilgamesh was helped in his battle with Humbaba by Enkidu and Jack was helped by a giantess to escape the giant. However, these two come from totally different backgrounds and that is something that makes these two different. Gilgamesh definitely could have influenced this text, as when I was reading “Jack and the Beanstalk” and saw a lot of things in common between these two.
