A Literary Response to Waiting for Godot - Essay Example

 Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett is about two tramps trapped in a situation in which they have to wait for Godot, an acquaintance they probably would not recognize. To while away the time, they eat, sleep and argue repetitively about seemingly nonsensical things. Strangely enough, the tramps are unsure as to why they are waiting only mentioning in passing that they are expecting "a kind of prayer." And yet, they wait, both not leaving the spot by the tree – even after news that Godot is not coming. The first audience of the play found this storyline rather absurd. Critics' comments when this comedy premiered in France in 1953 ranged from enigmatic to simply bad. Little did the French audience know, that it was later to become one of the most significant works in post-war literature. In literary tradition, Waiting for Godot belongs to the theater of the absurd, in which the plots consist of seemingly disjointed absurd situations that represent real life. In this play, form is content because the writer uses techniques such as symbolism, and contradiction to comment on human society. To date, Waiting for Godot is considered groundbreaking work about a universal and timeless subject: hope. Through the elements of contrast and symbol, Waiting for Godot establishes that hoping is instinctive among human beings even in the absence of justification. First to be addressed in this paper are the symbolisms found in the comedy that would allow the audience to conclude this. Symbolism as a dramatic element in theater is defined as the use characters, gestures, stage objects, dialog to mirror real life situations, people and ideas. The play, Waiting for Godot, through these symbolisms, creates representations of the hope of humanity. Certainly though, in order to prove that the stage play Waiting for Godot is about people's obstinate sense of hope, it is first necessary to show that its characters are in fact representative of humanity. There is a moment in the dialog when Vladimir speaks about religion, specifically retelling a story in the Bible. After this he surmises, "Suppose we repented" (Beckett 6). According to the Bible, those who repent shall be saved from damnation and pardoned for sin. The death of Christ on the cross which Vladimir alludes to is to save humanity. It may be assumed that "we" in his statement refers to humankind as though to suggest that repenting might make people's circumstances better than they are. As first impressions go, Vladimir and Estragon, the primary focus of Waiting for Godot, already bring out a familiar amusement. Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the two tramps represent the two facets of human beings. One is preoccupied with physical inconveniences and needs while the other digs deeper into the meaning of life and the nature of good. Vladimir says to Estragon, "When I think of it...all these years...but for me...where would you be... (Decisively.) You'd be nothing more than a little heap of bones at the present minute, no doubt about it" (Beckett 4). To refer to someone as "nothing but a heap bones" is to tantamount to saying he is void of feeling or perhaps thought. After all, on one level, human beings are creatures of survival – a side of human beings that Estragon symbolizes. He is whiny, apathetic and generally passive. He is driven by physical needs, which he must satisfy before endeavoring anything else. The constant complaints of Estragon echo this instinctive need to seek comfort and satisfy the physical body. He exclaims to Vladimir, "I was asleep! (Despairingly.) Why will you never let me sleep?" to which, the latter replies, "I was lonely" (Beckett 15-16). Vladimir is serious, contemplative, emotional and slightly more sensible than the other. What separates a human being from the rest of the animal kingdom though is its ability to think beyond himself and venture into the abstract. This is the part of human beings that Vladimir represents. Upon meeting the master, Pozzo and the slave, Lucky, Vladimir is portrayed to have a lot of compassion (Beckett 39). Theirs is a relationship that is at odds with each other and yet indivisible; they are one entity in spite of their difference. In Act I, Estragon says, "There are times when I wonder if it would be better for us to part," to which Vladimir replies, "You wouldn't go far" (Beckett 16). The effect then is that it is possible for any member of the audience to identify himself or herself to the two characters. The characterization of the two tramps bring out all too familiar traits of all people. Having established that, it becomes possible for their hope to be taken as humanity's own hope. Hoping for Godot to arrive – or simply hoping – is the focus of the play. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines hope as expecting with confidence, which is precisely what the two tramps are preoccupied with. In many instances in the play their expectation of Godot was not only illustrated to be patient but also resolute. "Tied to Godot! What an idea! No question of it," Vladimir declares (Beckett 27). Out of boredom, the two characters briefly consider hanging themselves on the leafless tree. But in the end, they find themselves unable to. Vladimir says, "Let's wait and see what he says" (Beckett 20). One amusing trait of the characters, which seems to have a particular significance in the play, is that they seem to be waiting in spite of themselves. Hanging themselves on the tree is tantamount to giving up the long uncertain wait. After all, they are unsure of the details of Godot's arrival – when and where exactly they are to meet. While they have considered giving up, they seem unable to push through with it. Both Estragon and Vladimir appear to be bored, which is quite apparent in the way that they shift from one seemingly mundane task to the next. "We wait. We are bored. (He throws up his hand.) No, don't protest, we are bored to death, there's no denying it. Good. A diversion comes along and what do we do? We let it go to waste... In an instant all will vanish and we'll be alone once more, in the midst of nothingness! (Beckett 139)." They occasionally get to a point where they get into each other's nerves so to speak. Neither though has left the spot by the tree. Neither has considered not waiting even though it is in the first place unclear to them what can come out of doing so. They refer to the purpose of their waiting as "a kind of prayer" or "a vague supplication" -- "nothing very definite" (Beckett 21). All this can be likened to the hope that humankind nurtures every single day despite the many crises that beset it. The future in real life is unclear and yet the spirit is kept alive. In fact, Vladimir suggests this in one of his remarks to Estragon. "Never neglect the little things of life.... Hope deferred maketh the something sick" (Beckett 5). As mentioned earlier, symbolism in dramatic play may also come in the form of the gestures of the characters. The absurdist school of drama does this abstractly. For instance, even the seemingly insignificant repetition of Vladimir's and Estragon's gestures may hold a great deal of meaning. Through symbolic repetition of gestures, the play abstractly suggests that the two characters act instinctively. Vladimir says: "Sometimes I feel it coming all the same. Then I go all queer." (He takes off his hat, peers inside it, feels about inside it, shakes it, puts it on again.) How shall I say? Relieved and at the same time . . . (he searches for the word) . . . appalled. (With emphasis.) "AP-PALLED." (He takes off his hat again, peers inside it.) Funny. (He knocks on the crown as though to dislodge a foreign body, peers into it again, puts it on again.) "Nothing to be done." (Estragon with a supreme effort succeeds in pulling off his boot. He peers inside it, feels about inside it, turns it upside down, shakes it, looks on the ground to see if anything has fallen out, finds nothing, feels inside it again, staring sightlessly before him.) "Well?" ESTRAGON: "Nothing." (Beckett 5). Why would one person inspect the something as commonplace as a hat thoroughly two times? Why is this repeated action in the case of Estragon's shoe as well? Perhaps at the off chance that the second time around, the results would be different. This segment of the play is an abstract representation of the tendency of people to try again hoping for different results. In the play, this is treated less like a conscious reasoned decision than an act of impulse. If one were to bring all the symbolisms together, the predominant image is one of patient waiting, and patient hoping by two people who seem incapable of acting otherwise. The play even ends with a suggestion that they will continue to wait. "Let's go. Yes, let's go. (They do not move)" (Beckett 171). Again no justification is offered for doing so. Yet another dramatic element that was used in Waiting for Godot is contrast. There is a pronounced use of this in the play to highlight the existence of hope in what appears to be desperate times. It would seem that there is very little reason to have hope and yet it is there. The setting alone exudes a sense of drought and emptiness, which ironically Estragon refers to as a "charming spot" with "inspiring prospects" (Beckett 11). Vladimir in Act 1 says, "Astride of a grave and a difficult birth. Down in the hole, lingeringly, the grave-digger puts on the forceps. We have time to grow old. The air is full of our cries" (Beckett 162). There is contrasting symbolism of being born and dying. Instead of a doctor, a gravedigger holds forceps as if to create the impression of being born into death. Estragon arrives at the country road finding nothing but Vladimir and a leafless tree nearby. Upon arriving he is irritated, explaining that he has spent a night at a ditch. Vladimir contributes to this atmosphere of gloom by recalling how they used to be "respectable" but not anymore (Beckett 4). The conversation then proceeds somewhat incoherently but with injections of both positive and negative ideas one after the other. Desperation contradicting hope; Hope contradicting desperation. This line is a good example: "The tears of the world are a constant quantity. For each one who begins to weep somewhere else another stops. The same is true of the laugh" (Beckett 47). Here it is emphasized that while there is hardship, this is balanced by the laughter or comfort. The two characters likewise repeat the line, "Nothing to be done." This is contradicted by other more positive declarations: "All my life I've tried to put it from me, saying Vladimir, be reasonable, you haven't yet tried everything. And I resumed the struggle," says Vladimir (Beckett 2). Although the character is brooding here, his statement reflects a very positive attitude: There might be something – a solution – that has not been tried yet. Even though mixed with some feeling of uncertainty, the character of Vladimir especially show positive attitude towards addressing difficulties. The character eventually adds: "Let us do something, while we have the chance! It is not every day that we are needed. But at this place, at this moment of time, all mankind is us, whether we like it or not. Let us make the most of it, before it is too late!" (Beckett 137). These suggestions of desperation have underscored the characters' patience in waiting for Godot, whom they look to for some comfort – "a kind of prayer." It seems both necessary – and at the same time very difficult – to expect some improvement in their circumstance. It is emphasized in the comedy that in spite of their complaints the two characters show no sign of giving up waiting. Bringing together all the dramatic elements – symbolism and contrast – reveals that Waiting for Godot is not merely a story about two tramps; Textual evidence allows one to conclude that it is a story of all humankind. And the kind of hope that it is portrayed to have is one that is not founded on reason. The gestures of the characters show that it is not a deliberate choice but an amusing predisposition. What makes this hope especially significant is that there is little reason to be hopeful. In the midst of all the absurdism and abstraction, the message seems simple: Though faced with desperation and uncertainty, human beings find themselves counting on the possibility of a more promising future. Waiting for Godot is simply about the strength of the human spirit in the face of hardship. Thesis Statement: Through the elements of contrast and symbol, Waiting for Godot establishes that hoping is instinctive among human beings even in the absence of justification. I. The play, through its characters, their dialog and their gestures, creates representations of hope for humanity A. The symbolisms will show that the characters are in fact representative of humanity. B. The characters are portrayed to be waiting for Godot with patience and resoluteness, which symbolize humanity's hope C. Through symbolic repetition of gestures, the play abstractly suggests that the two characters hope instinctively II. The play makes use of contrast to highlight hope in seemingly desperate times A. The space or setting where the waiting takes place exudes drought and emptiness, which highlights the importance of being able to hope B. The dialog has contradicting ideas of hope and desperation C. Even though mixed with some degree of uncertainty, the character of Vladimir especially show positive attitude towards addressing difficulties Work Cited Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. New York: Grove Press, 1954. Read More