Waiting for Godot in Samuel

Waiting for Godot

In Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot, two men idle away time as they wait for the title character. It seems as if Vladimir and Estragon have been waiting forever and will continue to wait indefinitely. Their situation resembles the Christian purgatory, in which human beings await judgement after they have died. Indeed, the two men are in limbo. They cannot bring themselves to leave and yet it is apparent they have the power to do so. When the play opens, Estragon apparently spent the previous night sleeping in a ditch, indicating that he has not always been tied to the spot by the tree. Subtle references alluding to their lives before they started waiting for Godot also suggest that the two men had more fulfilling lives before they find themselves in their current predicament. At several points in the play, Estragon suggests leaving. However, Vladimir continually reminds him they are "waiting for Godot."

Godot never does arrive, and yet Vladimir and Estragon will continue waiting as if the following day will bring fulfillment. What they will do when they finally meet Godot will never be known. Based on textual evidence and the overall tone of the play, Godot represents absolutely nothing. Vladimir and Estragon are waiting for nothing, enslaving themselves to the act of waiting without perceiving anything better to do with their time.

Their compulsive waiting prevents either Vladimir or Estragon to be happy. The character of Lucky can be viewed as a symbol for the voluntary slavery of Estragon and Vladimir's situation. Vladimir and Estragon appear to be somewhat aware of their self-imprisonment and the possibility for a more fulfilling life. For example, in Act I, Vladimir tells Estragon, "you haven't yet tried everything." Yet Estragon cannot try anything if he continues to wait for Godot. Estragon and Vladimir have not been waiting their whole lives, for Vladimir once states, "We were respectable in those days. Now it's too late," (Act One). This statement suggests that both Vladimir and Estragon have given up on life. Their depression signals a surrender to the inevitability of death. They no longer want to try living with purpose, because they have lost sense of the meaning of life.

The non-character of Godot allows Beckett to explore the concept of meaning in life. Vladimir and Estragon represent each and every audience member, evidenced by Estragon calling himself Adam when Pozzo asks for his name in Act II. The audience is supposed to view Vladimir and Estragon as mirrors for the useless search for meaning in life. Godot represents the meaning of life, which Beckett implies is absolutely nothing. It is futile to wait for some revelation to appear because in doing so we miss out on the pleasures of everyday life. Vladmir and Estragon have removed themselves from the world. They have no friends other than each other, and have no money or food. Their existence waiting for Godot is an exercise in self-annihilation. Thus, Godot represents death as an aspect of nothingness.

Vladimir and Estragon are in fact killing time, and are obviously depressed or at least mentally distressed. They talk about death and suicide frequently throughout the play. Twice Estragon suggests that the two men hang themselves from the tree. They may be craving a rebirth of the spirit, for the image of hanging from a tree hearkens to the myth of Odin. Odin, like Christ, died on the tree and was later reborn. Christian imagery and symbolism permeates Waiting for Godot, too. In fact, Estragon admits that he has envisions himself in the role of Jesus Christ in Act II. Estragon spends much of his time focusing on his boots, which can be viewed as a symbol for his ties to the material world. When he wants to go barefoot, Vladimir tells him emphatically he cannot and Estragon replies, "Christ did." Vladimir then retorts, "Christ! What has Christ got to do with it. You're not going to compare yourself to Christ!" Estrogen then says, "All my life I've compared myself to him." When Vladimir states that where Jesus lived it was warm and dry and therefore suitable for barefoot walking, Estragon concurs and says, "Yes, and they crucified quick."

Vladirmir also insinuates that Godot has a Christ-like role in his life. When Estragon asks, "And if he comes?" Vladimir replies, "We'll be saved,' (Act II). Moreover, Pozzo is referred to as both Cain and Abel in Act II. The contraction of embodying both Cain and Abel symbolizes self-annihilation because Cain killed Abel. Further death imagery includes the frequent references to twilight, the setting sun, and the end of the day such as when Vladimir says, "Don't be a fool, it's the west over there...it is not for nothing I have lived through this long day and I can assure you it is very near the end of its repertory," (Act II).

Estragon's attraction towards hanging himself from the tree and his longing for escape signify a death-wish. The two men are biding their time waiting for death to overtake them. Even more so than Vladimir, Estragon does not understand why they are waiting for Godot when they could simply end their lives voluntarily. It is Estragon who continually forgets what they are doing by the tree. He repeatedly asks Vladimir if they can leave. However, Vladimir seems convinced that waiting for Godot will bring them some kind of fulfillment. He finds practical reasons to dissuade Estragon from committing suicide even though the imagined fulfillment of Godot never arrives. Godot is nothing but what Vladimir and Estragon believe him to be. Vladimir and Estragon project their ideas onto Godot, but neither has met him.

The only character in the play who seems to have met Godot is the messenger boy and his brother. At the end of Act I, the messenger boy admits that Godot can be cruel to his brother. At the end of Act II, the second messenger boy tells Vladimir vaguely what Godot looks like and describes him as a man with a beard. Describing Godot as a man with a beard suggests that Godot is god. If Godot is god and god never arrives on the scene, then logically god does not actually exist. Godot never does make an appearance, but Vladimir and Estragon continue to believe that he will.