A View on the Manifestations and Influences - Essay Example

A View on the Manifestations and Influences of Responsibility and Duty The responsibility and duty can be manifested and viewed through the actions and the expressions of the different characters specifically in a play. The study of the manifestation and influences of responsibility and duty of the characters in the literary works under study which are the Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot, and Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis. The said literary works can be classified as unique creations that present their message in an eccentric manner. Due to the said characteristic of the said works, it can be considered a challenge to be able to clearly present the meaning. The main objective of the study conducted is to be able to be able to focus on the responsibility and duty of the characters specifically the manner to which such traits and attitudes are presented by the author. Waiting for Godot In the literary work of Samuel Becket there are different characters Vladimir and Estragon who are the main characters that are waiting for Godot who did not appear in the story. Other characters include Pozzo who presented as diversion accompanied by Lucky who is a slave. Lastly, the boy who always concludes the 2 scenes comprising the story is another additional character. In the story, Vladimir and Estragon can be considered to present the responsibility of waiting for Godot on the basis of unknown reasons. The two consecutive days of waiting in the same spot for the same person can be considered as a way of presenting responsibility. On the second day, after the boy already gave the message that Godot will never arrive the first day still expressed duty by being in the same spot. Vladimir can be considered as the more responsible character as compared to Estragon which he considers to be dependent to him, although it can be perceived that the two characters compliment each other. There are important quoted lines representing the responsibility of the characters and their main views. “To every man his little cross…Till he dies…And is forgotten.” (Beckett). This can be considered as a representation of the understanding on the characters of Vladimir and Estragon on the human affairs. It can then be perceived that being human inevitably make every person susceptible to sufferings. Such suffering can be seen as only random ingredients to the life of existence of every person. This can be considered to go on through the course of a person’s existence. Vladimir considers that waiting for Godot, even though Estragon is implying as a hard task, is one of the little crosses that they have to overcome to be able to achieve that goal that is not implied in the story. “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…Let us not then speak ill of our generation, it is not any unhappier than its predecessors….” (Beckett). The said line that had been quoted in the work by Beckett can be a representation of the perception of the writer and characters on the affairs of the human race thus, they are considered to be expressing responsibility. This can mean that when one is in grief thus some other people are happy in turn. Thus, it is important to be able to wait for the moment of happiness since there can never more grief in the world than joy. For that reason, the symbolism of waiting leads to the reward that can be achieved in the end. “Let us not waste our time in idle discourse!” (Beckett). This quotation can be considered as another representation of the responsibility and duty of the characters in terms of the exchange of ideas and expression of thoughts. This can be attributed to the fact that the 2 main characters are bored while waiting for Godot. Although this is the case, they have expressed a notion to talk fruitfully in the course of the conversation. There are different manifestations of duty and responsibility in the story. One is the protection given by Vladimir to Estragon which can be considered of weaker character than he is. Vladimir took the initiative and responsibility to protect Estragon although the latter is not aware of the said need. Another is the duty of Lucky to his mater Pozzo and also the responsibility of Pozzo to protect and feed Lucky. The manifestations of responsibility and duty in the story can be considered to be influenced by different factors. One is the complementary relationship between two persons. Vladimir and Estragon are together and responsible with each other due to the fact that they compliment each other. On the other hand the relationship of Vladimir and Estragon with Godot is comparable to that of Lucky and Pozzo. This is where one character is being looked up to and duties to that person such as waiting for him (in the case of Vladimir and Estragon) and serving him as a slave (in the case of Lucky) is a way of showing responsibility. In the said type of relationship, duty and even need is the main reason. Metamorphosis In the story made by Franz Kafka, the main character can be considered to present the responsibility and duty of a character. Although this is the case, the other characters of the play had shown responsibility and duty towards the end of the story. The main character Gregor Samsa is a hard worker who can be considered as the main embodiment of a responsible and supportive person most especially when it comes to his family which specifically includes his sister and parents. The said responsibility had been on his shoulders since the failure of the family business a few years ago. Basically, due to the fact that the family needs him, his duty to his superiors at work and to other people specifically the clients can be considered as a manifestation of his regard on the importance of the people in his life. The said responsibility can even be observed even after his transformation one morning to become a vermin. The responsibility and care of the main character for his family can be observed in the plans that he always express even to himself such as working for them even though the said job is paying him low wages. He would even comfort himself by saying “…there’s still hope; once I’ve saved enough money to pay back my parents’ debts…” and would again go about in performing his duties to the family (Kafka). His responsibility for the family had been on its climax when his chief went to visit when he thought he was sick. “Please, don’t make my parents suffer!...I’ll set off with the eight o’ clock train…” wanting to go to work even at his condition (Kafka). Although there are indications that he is not contented with his work, the main character continued the hardship to be able to take care of their needs. Other manifestations are the dream of sending his sister to major in music, wanting to work for the family to prevent his parents to work anymore due to his weak father and asthmatic mother. Although the whole story revolves around the burden and duty of the main character to his family, after transformation into an insect, the whole family took responsibility. His sister worked low paying jobs. Even his father and mother took jobs to be able to compensate to the needs of the family. These actions represent the dedication of every members of the family even at hardships. Even renting the room to strangers to be able to help with the maintenance of the flat is another indication. The story teaches the value of responsibility through the presentation of an ironic situation wherein the breadwinner who used to be the one with the greatest responsibility becomes the burden at some point. The actions of the characters and the manifestations of duty and responsibility are mostly influenced by their livelihood status and their care and duty for the welfare of the family. Conclusion The two stories that had been studied presented the life of humans in an eccentric manner to be able to highlight or even satirically teach important lessons in humanity. For the case of responsibility and duty, Beckett had taught the audience of the fact that most common characteristic of humans is to plant and aim to be responsible and reach goal but more of such plans are in words and in actions. On the other hand, Kafka had sent the message of attachment and responsibility to the family specifically between parents and children specifically in terms of financial issues as presented by the main character even in such a condition. References Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. 1948. Kafka, Franz. Metamorphosis. 1980. Read More