Perseverance of eternal life?

Cassie says that the authors are concerned with perseverance in reference to eternal life, but I am forced to disagree. While Gilgamesh searches for eternal life, he is not able to achieve it. If the authors had truly been concerned with perseverance in reference to eternal life, Gilgamesh would have gained eternal life. Throughout the text there are numerous examples of characters saying things such as “‘…everlasting life is not your destiny.’” (70) and “’Only the gods live for ever with glorious Shamash, but as for us men, our days are numbered, our occupations are a breath of wind.’” (71). This type of sentiment is expressed at various points in the text, which means that the authors understand and accept that they cannot live forever. While it’s true that once Enkidu dies Gilgamesh searches for eternal life, this is more a lesson to the reader than the authors obsession with perseverance in reference to eternal life. While on his quest Gilgamesh learns that only the gods have eternal life and comes to accept the fact that he has to die, as does everyone else. This acceptance is a major part of the meaning of the text, because accepting that you are not invincible is a humbling experience that Gilgamesh needed to counter his arrogance. So while I do agree that the authors are concerned with the idea of eternal life, it seems that they are more concerned with conveying the message that we all must die and less with the perseverance of eternal life.