The Epic of Gilgamesh and Savvy: A Comparison of Two Texts
What could an ancient Mespotamian tale have in common with a coming of age story about children with special abilities? It turns out that they’re more similar than you would think. First we have Gilgamesh, a classic tragedy with a powerful protagonist, that takes place with a background of ancient Mespotamian mythology. Then, we have Savvy: a coming of age novel about an (almost) regular teenage girl called Mibs. Almost all of the main characters have abilities, or superpowers, that they call savvies. Gilgamesh and Savvy are similar in their plot and character development, while they differ in their characters.
Gilgamesh and Savvy are both centered around the theme of going on an adventure. In Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh convinces Enkidu to come with him to the Cedar Forest, to try to slay the monster Humbaba. Gilgamesh proclaims, “But whether you come along or not, I will cut down the tree, I will kill Humbaba, I will make a lasting name for myself, I will stamp my fame on men’s minds forever.” In Savvy, Mibs forces her siblings to stow away on a pink bus with her, to travel to the hospital that her comatose father is being treated at. Both of the protagonists in these cases make others go on adventures with them because they want to prove themselves. Gilgamesh wants to prove his power and might by killing Humbaba, while Mibs wants to prove the power of her savvy by waking her father up from his coma. Not only are these two books similar in plot, but they are also similar in character development.
Both of the protagonists in these two stories learn the same important lesson. When Gilgamesh sees Enkidu die, he becomes frightened of death. He seeks out a way to make himself immortal so he will not come to the same fate as Enkidu. When he fails to prove that he is ready for immortality to Utnapishtim, he goes in search of a plant that will grant him immortality. He finds the plant, but a snake steals the plant while Gilgamesh is bathing and he loses his chance of immortality. Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh, “What you seek you shall never find. For when the Gods made man, they kept immortality to themselves. Fill your belly. Day and night make merry. Let days be full of joy. Love the child who holds your hand. Let your wife delight in your embrace. For these alone are the concerns of man.” When Mibs arrives at her father’s hospital, she is met with the reality that her savvy will not help her father wake up from his coma, no matter how much she wishes it would. In both of these stories, the main characters have to learn that they might not be able to always get what they want, as it is out of their control. They need to understand that they can be happy with what they have. These two texts have many similarities, but they also have a lot of differences.
Gilgamesh and Savvy have very different characters and character dynamics. In Gilgamesh, there are definitely characters that are superior to others. For example, the gods are all-powerful and basically rule over the world. They are immortal and have infinite power. Gilgamesh and Enkidu are not as powerful as the gods, but they are still superior to regular humans. They are both huge and strong, and very wise. Gilgamesh is also the king of Uruk. The narrator describes Gilgamesh as: “Surpassing all kings, powerful and tall beyond others, violent, splendid, a wild bull of a man, unvanquished leader, hero in the front lines, beloved by soldiers- fortress they called him, protector of the people, raging flood that destroys all defenses--” In Savvy, the main characters are all a family. As opposed to Gilgamesh, the characters in Savvy are all seen as equals, none are superior to the others. Both of these offer different character relationships and dynamics.
To summarize, Gilgamesh and Savvy are different in their aspects of character dynamics, whereas they are similar in their plot and character development. In both texts, the main characters go on adventures with their close friends/family to prove themselves. They also both have moments where the main characters have to be happy with what they have. However, they are different in the aspect of character development: Gilgamesh has a hierarchy of characters, whereas in Savvy all of the characters are seen as equals. Gilgamesh was one of (if not the) the first tragedies with a human protagonist. Despite Savvy being a more contemporary tragedy with a human protagonist, Gilgamesh was a cultural reset that may have led to influencing Savvy.
