What do we know about Godot? Who does he seem to be? Don’t get all symbolic on me–focus on what the text tells us!
14 thoughts on “question one”
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What do we know about Godot? Who does he seem to be? Don’t get all symbolic on me–focus on what the text tells us!
Comments are closed.
We know that Godot is the man Vladimir and Estragon are waiting for, but they’re completely vague about it. We know they see Godot as someone wiser and as a leader figure because they don’t want to make any decisions about hanging themselves until they can ask him who should be hung first (10). They worry they’ve messed up the time and date and that he will be upset with them, so I feel that implies that Godot is someone to be respected. However, he seems to not really care about the people waiting for him as he sends the boy to say that he won’t come this evening, “but surely tomorrow” (41). After all, “He didn’t say for sure he’d come” (6) to begin with. Which seems pretty inconsiderate since they’ve been waiting for him all day. From the next page (42), we find that he treats the boy good, but also beats his brother, implying that Godot is maybe fair, but firm.
Vladimir and Estragon don’t even know what he looks like, mistaking Pozzo for him when he first comes onstage (14). They even had trouble remembering Godot’s name. When Pozzo asks who Godot is, they call him “a kind of acquaintance” and that “they hardly know him” (15). It follows that we, as readers, hardly know him as well.
Still, I like Pozzo’s description of Godot the best. He calls him “Godot… who has your future in his hands… at least your immediate future” (21). This pretty much sums up what we know so far. Godot has some sort of power over Vladimir and Estragon that makes them need him/wait for him even if it is not convenient for them.
We know Godot is a man from the conversation Vladimir and Estragon are having on page 6 where they refer to Godot as ‘he’, “he didn’t say for sure he’d come.” Godot is continuously referred to as a male throughout Act I. Godot seems to be someone of importance because Vladimir and Estragon are determined to wait for him no matter how long it takes. Although Godot appears to be a man he is a very mysterious character because Vladimir and Estragon aren’t sure what he looks like or where or when exactly he will arrive. They believe they are beside the correct tree but aren’t sure Godot told them to meet them there. There conversations with Pozzo and among themselves about Godot are confusing and make it difficult for the reader to discover Godot’s true identity or why they would be waiting for him.
Towards the end of Act I the boy messenger sent by Godot to Vladimir and Estragon makes it seem like Godot might be some time of farmer because the boy minds Godot’s goats and the boys brother minds Godot’s sheep. The end of Act I let’s us know that Vladimir and Estragon have been waiting longer than just this one day, ” [Vladimir] It wasn’t you came yesterday? [Boy] No Sir. [Vladimir] This is your first time? [Boy] Yes Sir. [Vladimir] Words words. Speak. [Boy] Mr. Godot told me to tell you he won’t come this evening but surely tomorrow” (pg 41). This lets the reader know that Vladimir and Estragon have been waiting for more than just one day. It seems like Godot is a flaky farmer who will meet with Vladimir and Estragon when he finds it convenient.
I agree with J. Kraker, Godot seems like he does not care about those that wait on him and I guess he does not know the respect Vladimir and Estragon have for him. Godot must have something Vladimir and Estragon desire and are willing to stay beneath a tree for multiple days to see him.
I agree with Matthew on the first part, Vladimir and Estragon do spend a lot of time waiting for Godot. I’m not sure if Godot seems like a flaky farmer. I think he is something that’s higher class than just a farmer. I think he might be the owner of a farm or someone of high class. I think just his social status is able to make people wait for him and be worth the wait.
We know Godot is influential and has some power in that region. One because they are waiting for him anxiously, and Vladimir seems to think that Godot will help them in some way. He obviously has money because he has workers and he owns a herd of goats. We also know that he is not that great of a person because he beats the Boy’s brother. We also know that he is not all that bad because he feeds the boy and doesn’t beat him. He sounds similar to Pozzo.
For every instance of Godot being presented as Vladimir and Estragon’s “leader” (the parallels between Godot and Lefty from Odets’ “Waiting For Lefty” are impossible to ignore), there’s always a hint that Godot is no more important than any other character on stage. Sure, people wait around for him, and he does seem to be able to beat people into submission, but Vladimir does hint that whatever Godot has to say, may not matter much at all. While the two are debating whether or not to leave, or die, or whatever else they’re musing over, Vladimir suggests that he’s “curious to hear what [Godot] has to offer. Then [he’ll] take it or leave it.” If Godot is supposed to be their superior, then that second part of Vladimir’s line wouldn’t make sense – he wouldn’t be able to “take it or leave it,” he’d just have to take it. If anything, Godot is built up to be a figure who will shed some kind of light onto the unknown, unspoken hurdle that’s currently stumping Vladimir and Estragon. Godot is a messenger of sorts. A messenger who sends other messengers to say that he’s not coming. Basically, Godot is a tease, that’s all.
As everyone else has mentioned, we can only gather who Godot is from the conversations between Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), who wait for him day after day, and from Godot’s messenger boy. What these three share seems to be a respect for Godot, implying his word will let them “know exactly how [they] stand.” [10] Although Didi and Gogo cannot remember exactly what they asked him for, Gogo guesses that it was “a kind of prayer” or “vague supplication.” [10] This is obviously a man with great power… or is he just an average joe these vagabonds have latched onto in their strangely purgatorial state?
In an interesting exchange between Didi and Gogo – at this point we’ve gathered that neither protagonist has a reliable memory – they say Godot replied that “he’d see,” “he couldn’t promise anything,” and “he’d have to think it over” in “the quiet of his home.” To imply even less power, Didi and Gogo go through a long list of things Godot must actually “consult” before offering anything: “his family,” “his friends,” “his agents,” “his correspondents,” “his books,” and “his bank account.” [10-11] While this could be an extensive list of excuses to perpetuate their denial, in actuality, this list is also something we are very familiar with in our social constructed set of values. These are priorities that Godot – or priorities that Didi and Gogo imagine Godot to have – thinks about before making any major decision. After all, why would any person not factor in his loved ones or financial state for people who “wouldn’t even know him if [they] saw him”? [15]
Furthermore, Didi reveals his doubt about “Mr. Godot” and his generosity when he questions the messenger boy. As others have mentioned, it is possible that Godot owns some kind of large ranch where the boy “mind[s] the goats” while his brother “minds the sheep.” [42] Didi ignores that Godot only beats one brother for no reason, despite interrogating how the boys are treated, if they are beaten, how much they’re fed, where they sleep, etc. He seems to be gauging what kind of person Godot is, just as we the readers are, except his intentions are selfish, and he is implying Godot is not worth waiting for at all.
I liked Matthew’s classification of Godot as “a man.” He seems to be this larger than life character who will magically fix all of Valdimir and Estragon’s problems, but in reality he is nothing more than a man. We don’t know much about him, but we do know that he is a man, which is really all we need to know about him. He is human, and Vladimir and Estragon just make him seem as more than that by the emphasis they place on him.
RE: Julie, Matthew
I like that the texts leads us to classify Godot as a man, but I think it’s more important to analyze how it also leads us to interpret him as God. The word God after all appears in his name. Like God, Godot is also every where and nowhere at once. On page 15, almost as if taken from a cliched biblical scripture, Godot is mistaken for the “wind in the reeds.” Following scriptural patterns again, the word “Worship” is capitalized on the same page.
His simultaneous characterization as a man makes a commentary about man’s expectations about God’s role in the world and then the reality of his role. He cannot solve their problems, and his only importance in the world depends on the emphasis they place on him.
So, many of the comments are saying that Godot is someone that Estrogan and Vladimir probably look to for leadership but I think there is something far more sinister going on. In the beginning, the two of them are waiting for him, and they seem very anxious. I am not sure if it is because the two of them are cracked out, which would account for their temporal lapse in judgement, or if it is because they are foreboding something bad to happen. And the part when they talk about hanging themselves, while quite humorous, reveals how they may be desensitized to the thought of death or suicide. I do not think people who are happy with their lives joke around in this way, however, like I’ve said, I think their nonchalant approach to suicide was pretty funny.
Anyway, Godot is a really mysterious man. If he is anything like Pozzo and Lucky, I look forward to finding out what sort of man he really is. But we do know that Godot may be a important man since the two protagonists list out all the things that Godot must consult before meeting them. I guess we’ll find out in the next part what all this fuss was about.
@Jackson, I totally see where you’re coming from re: something more sinister going on. If Godot is a real person, it seems like he does scare Estragon and, through Estragon, Vladimir. Personally, I can’t quite solidify the image of Godot as a man simply because of the high-stakes importance that is being placed on him.
That said, responding to some earlier comments about Godot as a person, human beings tend to apply gender to many things or concepts that may or may not be real–for example (depending on what you believe), God can be seen as male, female, or some other gender entirely, and yet God, to many, is not a man/human. To sum up, I’m not sure that, even though he is referred to using a gendered pronoun, Godot is real.
Regarding looking forward to finding out what kind of man Godot is: I’m not sure we’ll ever find out who he is, since the text’s title is “Waiting for Godot”. Perhaps everyone will be waiting for Godot throughout the entire play–because of that, I’m not holding my breath. Maybe I’ll be wrong, though!
We know Godot is a man who has a “I think it’s white, Sir.” beard. The messenger boy who arrives twice in the play with “word” from Godot for Vladimir and Estragon is closest we ever get to the title character. Neither Pozzo or Lucky have anything to offer about the mysterious Godot. Since everything in the story is a little backwards, I figured flipping the letters in his name might offer a clue. Lucky is a dog and perhaps all along Vladimir and Estragon have been erroneously expecting some Supreme redeeming figure when in fact it’s been Pozzo’s pet all along.
Re: Jackson Lo
I think there is something else going on with this mysterious Godot, but I still believe they look toward him as a leader and for guidance. They are waiting for him everyday like soldiers waiting for their superior. The story, to me, creates this relationship between Godot and Vladmir and Estrogon. As to the hanging themselves part, I interpreted it as they were at a point where there was nothing else in their lives and if they did not get help/guidance/advice from Godot, they would be doomed regardless. Godot has the boy go to Vladimir and Estrogon to tell them he will not be coming, but the fact that the two don’t tell the boy to express their disappointment and/or frustration shows that Godot is someone to be respected and that they will wait, no matter what.
@Sarah – If Godot isn’t even worth waiting for, then this play is a lot bleaker than it already reads… And I’m totally on board with that. I never considered Didi and Gogo’s questions about Godot to be a form of interrogation into his character. The two have spent the whole act building him up into a leadership position, but when his messenger arrives, it really does seem like he’s hardly the noble leader they’ve made him out to be. The lack of concern for the boy’s brother is a troubling point – and you’re right, there are only questions asked for the sake of asking. Nothing is done about the situation, and everything continues as usual. If Godot was that important, he would find a way to show up.