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How Did Enkidu Change

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Change is often not wanted however required by society. Enkidu is portraying a simple human surviving in the wild however society does not like this and tricks him into changing. Enkidu changes from a boy to a man by now roaming with humans rather than animals. This leads him to multiple journeys of which the outcome is death. The epic has multiple layers of symbols hidden among them however the most prevalent was the transition between boy to become a man and the sacrifices required for that to occur. Enkidu’s sacrifices to become an urban dweller do not outweigh the simple life he had to give up.

Enkidu was a simple man whose way of life was not acceptable by society. Enkidu’s first true exposure to humanity is when he met Shamhat, a temple …show more content…
Gilgamesh was trying to sleep with another bride when Enkidu blocked him. Enkidu was risking his life for death since he was insulting the king. This shows the risk of being an urban dweller. Living in the city leads him to face new difficulties such as diseases which were never an issue while in the wild. As soon as he became friends with Gilgamesh, he told him that they should go challenge “Humbaha as a terror to human beings” which solidified his change from wild man to civilized male. Gilgamesh went from roaming with animals to killing them. This is the sad reality of leaving the wild for order since once he is a city man he has to do whatever he required to insure the city as a whole will prosper. The wilderness provided Enkidu nothing but empty friendships since after a dramatic mistake his “mother, the gazelle”(98) and “father, the wild donkey” (98) both left him. Comparatively, in the civilized world, Gilgamesh, his new friend, mourned for him as he died. Another downside of Enkidu being exposed to civilization was now facing the grim reality of death. Enkidu in the wild was roaming as he pleased without having the actions of others affect him. In the kingdom, Enkidu’s future was not only crafted by his

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