—Wenyi Luo
The literary text that makes me feel most uncomfortable, whether intellectually or emotionally, is Samuel Beckett’s play — Endgame. From the scenario, I feel really uncomfortable to see the background of Endgame is set in a narrow and dark room. The characters have ugly and strange outlooks and wear dirty and ragged clothes, which makes it seem like they live in a dirty area. From an emotional perspective, I feel very depressed and anxious about their behaviors. The protagonist, Hamm, makes really loud noises, like littering plants or yelling, and speaks really weird words at the same time. It is hard to understand Hamm and other characters, because instead of using full sentences, they sometimes use short phrases to express their emotions. For example, at the end of the play, Hamm says “let’s play it that way and speak no more about it, speak no more, old sponsor, you remain” and covers his face using a handkerchief. It shows that Hamm feels conflicted because even though he needs his servant, Clov, to take care of him, he has to bear Clov’s torture.
Apart from this conflicted feeling, I am impressed by the relationship between Hamm and his parents. I felt so sad when I saw that Hamm imprisoned his parents, who got injured in the accident, in the dark and dirty trash bin. Hamm does not care about them at all, which is extremely abnormal. For example, Hamm does not provide foods and water for his parents, and never let his parents go out even to go to the restroom. Hamm’s cold-blooded treatment of his parents is a result of long-term hatred and anger. His childhood memory is lonely and painful, because his parents often ignored his spiritual and emotional needs while he was growing up. Although I understand that the lack of communication and love between the parents and kids results in estrangement and misunderstanding between the two generations. There is no choice for both parties because children cannot chose who their parents are and this is also true for their parents. This blood relationship cannot be severed.
I sympathize with Hamm, and I started to think about the relationship between the parents and kids: whether the kids should seek revenge or show gratitude to their parents if their parents ignore their emotional needs. Children should always be grateful to their parents who gave them life and nurtured them by sacrificing time and energy. Although some people support “answering blows with blows”, I don’t think it is understandable to abuse parents like Hamm did in Endgame, because his parents are not too wicked to be pardoned. For example, the husband always wants to kiss his wife even though he knows they cannot due to the distance, which shows that there is still love in the play. Therefore, it is ridiculous to think that parents are sinners simply because they do not completely and perfectly meet their children’s needs. If the parents have not made serious mistakes like rape or murder, children should always be grateful instead of indifferent to their parents’ difficult situation. Children should not try to seek revenge as Hamm did, like trapping them in the trash bin. In conclusion, parents work hard for children’s growth and lay the foundation for their children to become adults under their protection.
