Heroism of Gilgamesh Versus Marji Essay

Marji and Gilgamesh are two very different types of people, in totally separate categories in fact. Heroism is a player in both their games, but in totally different ways. They are so separate that it would be like putting red light, next to blue light in order to compare them. This is why you cannot attempt to classify them as one undivided character brand.

Marji is many things. She is rebellious, studious, punk, friendly, courageous, and heroic? Sure she has many definitive qualities, but the situations where she acts valiantly are also the situations shes forced into. So, to me Marji is not a hero.

To decide if Marji is really a hero though, you need to come to terms with what being a hero really means for her. If being a hero means doing the right thing in a specific or unaccommodating position, that you have been forced to overcome, Marji may be a hero. If being a hero means a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life for the better of others, just because that is who they are, Marji can surely not be categorized as a hero. Instead, Marji opts to take the follower role, but yet likes the feeling of having her or her family being called a hero. Pride is one of her strongest emotions, and heroism is a path to pride. Laly says to Marji Maybe, but at least my father is a hero A panel later My father was not a hero, my mother wanted to kill people so I went out to play on the streets. You notice how she does not mention herself. She doesnt mention herself because she still associates the people whom she interacts with as what she, herself is. So if people in her family act heroic, she feels powerful and in control. If her family is scared and acting gutless, she feels incapacitated. Therefore, if pride is really the main thing she is looking for, and not acting with consideration and on behalf of others, she cannot be defined as a hero, in my definition. It really all depends on what qualities of heroism you chose to coincide in your definition.

For Gilgamesh, its not a question of when or why he acts, its a question of who and how. He acts upon his own accord, doing whatever he wants, however he wants. Nobody tells him to slay Humbaba. He leaves his own people defenseless whilst he goes and hacks at a monster that isnt even the least bit threatening to his people. Sure its a scary monster, but its the lair of a god, people arent even supposed to trespass in the first place. So is it even a good thing that he killed the monster? As Humbaba says Have madmen told you to confront me here p122 The only reason he does turn to strive away from his reign of terror over his people is because of beings more powerful than himself; The gods. He is no more of a hero than Humbaba.

But its not just that, what he does after Enkidus death is very simple-minded. What he does and aspires to are situated around fear. He is fearful for himself, and has still not learned his lesson. You cannot strive for immortality for your own benefit and be classified as someone who is ethical and honorable. What he attempts is not antiheroic, but it is surely not heroic. Finally, after much convincing and inducing he is drawn away, not from the yearning for it, but because he cannot pass a physical test. So Gilgamesh sat down against a wall to begin the test. The moment he sat down, sleep swirled over him like a fog.

Gilgamesh, in some ways, is not too different from Marji. He is a rebel, he thinks that what he wants comes before the laws (even though he sets them) and he is forced into situations, although there are many major differences. He forces himself into sticky situations. He doesnt act on the good of others until someone of a higher status then himself forces it upon him, he has much more power than Marji, and lastly, he never willingly thinks for others.

Gilgamesh evolves over the book. From being a powerful, angry, unwilling caretaker of a land he beats, brays, and breaks himself. He doesnt care that these people love him and need him. He cares about his own pleasures, and if it were not for somebody more powerful than even himself, he would not woe himself upon these people whose duty it is for them to let him rape and torture.

These two people are very different in character, mindset, personality, objective, and almost anything about them. They are both unwittingly given tasks that either they strive away from, or deal with in a way that cannot be classified as heroic. That is the one thing they share.