Waiting For Godot By Beckett Essay, Research Paper
The purpose of human life is an unanswerable question. It seems impossible to
find an answer because we don’t know where to start looking. To us, existence
seems to be something imposed on us by an unknown force. There seems to be no
reason for it, therefore making the world seem choatic. For this reason, society
tries to make meaning of it by materialistic purposes to distract us from the
fact that it is actually a hopless and mysterious predicament. Samuel Beckett’s
two act play, "Waiting For Godot", captures this feeling and view of
the world. This viewpoint is shown by the difference between Pozzo and Lucky in
both Act I and II. Since this world is soley based on chance, human lives are
treated in an almost cruel manner. In act one, Pozzo is traveling to the market
to sell Lucky. Pozzo is totally healthy. Lucky is a perfectly normal slave who
has started to annoy Pozzo, so he is going to be sold. This is the first way
Valdimir and Estrogen see this odd couple. However, the next day Pozzo and
Lucky’s predicament have changed. Pozzo is blind and Lucky has become a mute.
When Valdimir and Estrogen confront them on these drastic hcanges, Pozzo’s
answers are confused. He has absolutely no recollection of the day before when
he ordered Lucky to "think" and claims Lucky has always been a mute.
When Valdimir asks him when he became blind, Pozzo responds, "I woke up one
find day as blind as fortune". When Valdimir asks him for details, Pozzo
answers violently, "Don’t question me! The blind have no notion of time.
The things of time are hidden from them too!" In this hopeless situation,
humans try to stay oblivious to thier true predicament. Throughout the play,
Valdimir and Estrogen remain stupidly cheeful, and look for distraction in
pointless activities. It is for this rason the play seems a bit comical at
times. Valdimir and Estrogen try to distract themselves from thier wait for
Godot by arguing over mundane topics, sleeping, talking with Pozzo and Lucky
(also about mundane topics) and even contemplating suicide. All this is an
attempt to remain oblivious to the reality they are oinly waiting for a vague
image, who may never come. In essence they don’t want to realize that thier
lives are meaningless. This vehavior is a perfect example of this world’s petty
distractions. In act two Valdimir declares, "What are we doing here, that
is the question. And we are blessed in this, that we happen to know the answer.
Yes, in this immense confusion one thing alone is clear. We are waiting for
Godot to come-" This shows how Valdimir simply wants an illusion of a
safegaurd to cope with his meaningless life and Godot is that illusion for now.
In act two, Valdimir starts to look at life and in doing so gets a glimpse of
understanding this viewpoint. At this time Valdimir reaslizes that is waiting is
hopeless and Godot is only a distraction from his useless reality. Valdimir
begins to become depressed at this point. He realizes that he is trapped,
understands he has no choice and must persist in his illusion. There seems to be
no point, but only this option. "Waiting For Godot" is about how the
world is based on chance and meaingless behavior. In essence this means that
human life has no real meaning. When humans realize this, they create
distractions and diversions to make purpose and meaning for life. "Waiting
for Godot" is simply a play about the meaning of life.