Mohamed Alkhaly Kaba

ENG 2850

Professor Jeff Peer

18 April 2017

Dear reader,

In this second essay written about Beckett’s play, “Waiting for Godot,” I decided to pick uncertainty as my key theme and develop it through my essay.  The thesis statement that I arrived at Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” is such a tragicomedy play written in two acts.  Through this endless waiting for Godot, Beckett uses different themes such as the relationship between Vladimir and Estragon, time, memory, and place to draw conclusion life is full of uncertainty because everything can happen at any time.  The play is confusing, but I tried my best to talk about how Beckett has used uncertainty to convey some important messages.  Honestly, I think that I still need to work on development.

Vladimir and Estragon, two tramps on the side of the road to meet Godot.  They are spending their time talking about everything and nothing, and hoping that the famous Godot will come.  The purpose of waiting for Godot is to find deliverance from their purposeless, and meaningless lives.  The tramps are unable to change their lives and prefer to entrust their lives to Godot.  Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” is such a tragicomedy play written in two acts.  Through this endless waiting for Godot, Beckett uses different themes such as the relationship between Vladimir and Estragon, time, memory, and place to draw conclusion life is full of uncertainty because everything can happen at any time.

Uncertainty is one key theme of Beckett’s play that a reader cannot miss out.  the two tramps that came from nowhere have no past and were not certain about their future. For this reason, they were looking for Godot to save their lives.  First, they are not even aware about their surroundings.  When Estragon said,

Estragon: Let’s go.

Vladimir: We can’t.

Estragon: Why not?

Vladimir: We’re waiting for Godot.

Estragon: (despairingly). Ah! (Pause.) You’re sure it was here?  (Page 11)

This is the first scene of uncertainty that Beckett used certainly to point out a critical issue.  Vladimir and Estragon are ignorant about their meeting place with Godot.  The lack of knowledge of these two tramps about their surroundings can be a metaphor of lack of knowledge of human beings where they live.  When Vladimir remembered later that they must meet Godot by a tree, then Estragon asked, “what is it?” Vladimir said, “I don’t know, a willow” (Page 11).  This quote shows another uncertainty about the nature of the tree.  It may or may not be a willow, a shrub or a bush as they think, but one thing is sure it is a tree.  This uncertainty about the nature of the tree makes a reader wonders about the role of this tree in meeting Godot.  The play took place in two consecutive days, evening and morning.  Beckett materialized the tree during these two consecutive days to highlight the season, and the relationship between life and death.  During the first day, When Estragon asked Vladimir, “where are the leaves”, he said, “they must be dead” (Page 12).  A tree with no leaves is symbol of the winter season. Then, from the evening to the next day the tree was covered with leaves.  Beckett picked the tree to show uncertainty in the two tramps lives by using nature.  When Vladimir realized that “yesterday evening [the tree] was all black and bare. And now it’s covered with leaves” (Page 104).  From yesterday to the present day, the tree has changed totally.  This uncertainty symbolized the change in men’s lives.  The place where the tramps are living in change dramatically suddenly.  Beckett tried to show that everything can happen from one day to another as the tree has changed from no leaves to be covered with leaves the following day.  The change of the tree can give another interpretation about life by Beckett.  Life can change in an instant, Beckett gave an advice to appreciate what is happening right now.  Moreover, the tree being covered with leaves symbolizes hope.  It is a good sign for the two tramps that are waiting desperately for Godot to change their lives.  Furthermore, Beckett sticks with his belief that everything can happen in life.  Lucky and Pozzo , two people that Vladimir met in the first act.  Lucky was poor while Pozzo was rich, strong, and full of assurance.  The following day, Pozzo becomes blind, and Lucky leads now Pozzo (page 127). The abrupt change of these two people explains that life is uncertain.  The highest place that one occupies today can change suddenly into worse just like we see with Pozzo and Lucky.  It is a proof that people lives can swing from one end to the other.  We have to take advantage pf the present time, and also think about what can happen tomorrow.

Vladimir and Estragon have a purpose, it is to meet Godot to save their lives.  Godot is a mysterious person that they have never met before.  They are uncertain about the coming of Godot. According to Beckett, uncertainty can be exhausting and even lead to dramatic consequences.  Vladimir and Estragon have been waiting for Godot for a while; desperate, they decide to hang themselves (Page 18).  They start losing hope of meeting Godot.  Their lives became purposeless because Godot was the one that can save their lives.  Therefore, the only option that has left was suicide.  In this quote, Beckett argued that suicide can be caused by the meaningless of someone’s life.  When someone is uncertain about his or her future. This feeling can lead to suicide.  However, Beckett believed that with a great faith in what one desires can overcome uncertainty.  When Vladimir and Estragon were discussing about how to hang themselves.

Estragon: If it hangs you it’ll hang anything.

Vladimir: But am I heavier than you?

Estragon: So you tell me. I don’t know. There’s an even chance. Or nearly

Vladimir: Well? What do we do?

Estragon: Don’t let’s do anything. It’s safer.

Vladimir: Let’s wait and see what he says.

Estragon: Who?

Vladimir: Godot.

Estragon: Good idea.

Vladimir: Let’s wait till we know exactly how we stand. (Page 20).

The discussion between the two tramps shows that their lives were devoid of purpose because they were uncertain at some point they became hopeless and decided to hang themselves.  One thing that keeps them alive was the strong faith that Vladimir had in Godot. When he said, “let’s wait and see what he says” (page 20).  Although they were hopeless, Vladimir still believes that Godot will come to save them.  It is because of a great faith that they did not commit suicide.  In addition, Beckett gives another advice about life to never give up and to always believe in your goals no matter how you feel, and uncertain life can be.  Vladimir is the figure of optimism throughout this play.  Despite it was uncertain that Godot will come, Vladimir keeps hope for a better future.  When Vladimir mentions, “Ah Gogo, don’t go on like that. Tomorrow everything will be better” (page 83).  This quote shows that the main forces that drive especially Vladimir is hope.  As we all know, hope motivates people to persevere despite the obstacles blocking our lives.  They were living in the darkness, but Vladimir saw a light that will shed into the darkness to make their lives better.

In their first day of waiting for Godot, Vladimir and Estragon met Lucky and Pozzo.  The new couple also presented uncertainty through their words. For instance, Pozzo called Godot with different names, “Godet…Godot…Godin…” (page 19).  This quote shed an uncertainty point about Godot, the mysterious man that can save Vladimir and Estragon.  The different names of Godot symbolize the diverse ways of calling God such as Jehovah for Christian, Allah for Muslim, and HaShem for Jewish.  The uncertainty about Godot’s name may represent the god of different religion.  However, one thing is sure within this uncertainty is that a Godot is someone that can save their lives.  Pozzo refers Godot as someone who has, “who has your future in his hands” (page 19).  Pozzo means to say that Godot has the control the total control over their lives.  Speaking about Godot in this way symbolizes God, the supreme being who can fulfill any desire.  Furthermore, Lucky supports the idea of Godot as God by his description.  When Lucky mentions, “Given the existence as uttered forth in the public works of Puncher and Wattmann of a personal God quaquaquaqua with white beard…”(page 64).  Here, Beckett used an imagery to describe Godot as a wise person capable to change Vladimir and Estragon lives.  However, it is not sure if Godot is a person, God, and spirit.  A boy sent by Godot showed up and made the uncertainty about Godot even worse.  When the boy was asked by Vladimir what does Godot do? The boy replied, “he does nothing, sir” (page 159).  Here, the confusion is total because Godot is supposed to save the two tramps, but Godot does nothing.  This means that the two tramps put their future in someone that does nothing.  Therefore, Godot cannot be God because God is the supreme being able to change everything.  Perhaps Godot is someone wealthier shepherd that can provide them shelter and food.  When the boy was asked about Godot he said that he mind the goats for Godot. (page 79).  This quote confirms that Godot is not God, he should be a shepherd, but he does nothing.  The two tramps entrusted to Godot because they need a shelter, and food to survive.

In conclusion, Beckett’s play lacks sense and history because of uncertainty spread throughout his play.  The characters in his plays such as Vladimir, Estragon, Lucky, Pozzo, Godot, and boys teach many lessons about life.  Nothing is sure about life. Everything can happen suddenly.  Perhaps Beckett took this uncertainty of life to question the way people are treating each other.  He used this play to better off our society.

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Works cited

Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot: a tragicomedy in two acts. N.p.: Faber and Faber, 1965. Print.