Blog Post 3

ESTRAGON:

Why doesn't he put down his bags?

POZZO:

I too would be happy to meet him. The more people I meet the happier I become. From the meanest creature one departs wiser, richer, more conscious of one's blessings. Even you . . . (he looks at them ostentatiously in turn to make it clear they are both meant) . . . even you, who knows, will have added to my store.

ESTRAGON:

Why doesn't he put down his bags?

POZZO:

But that would surprise me.

VLADIMIR:

You're being asked a question.

POZZO:

(delighted). A question! Who? What? A moment ago you were calling me Sir, in fear and trembling. Now you're asking me questions. No good will come of this!

VLADIMIR:

(to Estragon). I think he's listening.

ESTRAGON:

(circling about Lucky). What?

VLADIMIR:

You can ask him now. He's on the alert.

ESTRAGON:

Ask him what?

VLADIMIR:

Why he doesn't put down his bags.

ESTRAGON:

I wonder.

VLADIMIR:

Ask him, can't you?

“Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett is an allegorical play following the lives of two men, Vladimir and Estragon. The play is set on a desolate roadside under a tree. The two men meet under the tree and converse on a lot of topics and it is revealed that they are waiting for a man by the name of Godot. Vladimir and Estragon wait persistently for Godot, but he never arrives and in the end Vladimir and Estragon leave. Beckett is successful in creating a world of absurdism and insignificance through symbolism and a lack of memory. The passage above fits into this pattern and this essay aims to do a close reading of it.

The lack of memory in Waiting for Godot presents a world of meaningless existence. In this excerpt, we see what looks to be a frustrating exchange of words; questions are not answered and Estragon forgets a question he just asked and needs to be reminded by Vladimir. “Vladimir: You can ask him now. He’s on alert. Estragon: Ask him what?” Beckett is emphasizing our purposelessness by showing how our past and futures are pointless. This could be a critique of religion and mankind’s constant search for the meaning of life. The religions we follow are just a distraction to the fact that we live in a world of no significance. Our actions and conversations will be forgotten when we die and this is represented in the annoying, pointless, cyclical conversations in the play, as shown in the extract presented here.

Beckett also makes use of symbolism in the excerpt to further highlight the theme of absurdism and his critique of society’s desire, to find the meaning of life. “I too would be happy to meet him.” In this quote, we see that Pozzo is excited about the idea of waiting for Godot too, mirroring societies need to look forward to something that will bring their lives meaning. Godot is a character that has never been seen by the other characters except the messenger and is of such significance to Vladimir, Estragon and even attracts the attention of Pozzo. Beckett uses Godot to symbolize religion. Faith drives people to hope for something greater, the same way Vladimir, Estragon and now Pozzo are anticipating something worthwhile from their meeting with Godot. Beckett shows the reality of the absurdist world we live in through the diminishing hope and falsehood the characters live in. Godot never comes and the lives of the characters are bland and monotonous, thus showing the lack of meaning that the world has. Godot could be urging society not to sit back their whole lives hoping for something greater but to investigate their own meaning.

As seen from the excerpt above, Beckett successfully presents a harsh and scary reality. Whilst many of the themes and ideas he presents can be contested, his ability to use characters and their interactions to support the absurdist movement is impressive. This excerpts bland and repetitive nature, help Beckett present the absurdist world we live in, where our existence ultimately has no meaning.