Thursday, May 21, 2015

Suffering: A Central Theme

Suffering is a central theme in both Job and Gilgamesh.  In the Book of Job, Job suffers by losing everything important to him, yet still remaining faithful to God.  He suffered by losing his health, such as having open sores and boils all over his body.  He lost all of his wealth in one day.  He lost his sons and his daughters.  His wife isn't on his side.  He eventually loses his faith in God and resents him, wondering why God is causing him to suffer.  The idea that "the righteous suffer" is shown through Job.  The reason why Job started to resent God and blame him for his own suffering is because he did not believe or have faith in himself.

In Gilgamesh, suffering occurs in many situations.  Both Gilgamesh and Enkidu have to suffer the wrath of the Gods.  Enkidu suffers for days and has to endure a long, painful death.  Gilgamesh suffers by losing Enkidu, his best friend, in the end.  He also suffers by battling with his own morality after witnessing the death of someone very close to him.  Lastly, Gilgamesh suffers internally, as he struggles with finding himself and his inner journey.

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