“Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett Essay

“Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett is a play that makes one wonder what life is all about and how to contemplate existence. An article in the Globe and Mail titled “Stratford’s Waiting for Godot is worth it” talks about an idea that the two characters are suspended between life and death. It would be possible to assume that this is a part of the truth that the two men are experiencing.

The fact that they are not aware what is going on is comical but at the same time, sad. The suspension in a place that is not real, and is still physically felt by the characters is very mysterious. It is a look at death as becoming a state of non-existence without further immortal continuation of life, individual or soul.

This point is extremely valid because many people believe that death brings about a darkness that is not followed by anything. Usually, these are people who do not believe in God and do not follow any religion, as all religions suppose continuation of life in another form. No one has been able to prove or show that there is some form of existence after death, so it would be logical and reasonable to examine all possible outcomes.

Even if all the bad things are considered, people still prefer to be alive than not. But in this case, Estragon and Vladimir are contemplating death, so it is unclear which option they prefer more. No one is aware of what will follow and this lack of knowledge and uncontrollable imagination creates pictures that are both positive and negative. No matter how much a person tries to imagine Heaven or another beautiful world, the conscious mind still reminds about the chance for suffering or total darkness (Nestruck, 2013).

Another review of the play talks about sadness, poverty of life, mind and soul. The word “poor” characterizes the soul in a negative way as it suffers and feels pain even more than the physical body. This is an expression of the plays obscurity because the soul is supposedly, born clean and free of any sin. The two men are really not responsible for the lives they have, as all they have is what they received in life.

Later, the environment takes a hold of them and leads to actions that are immoral or unfair. Thus, the soul becomes full of negativity and sin. The short moment in time that is shown is also very interesting. This relates to the shortness of life, and death which will come next. This sort of thing is never wanted because a person wants to enjoy as many things for as long as they can. It might seem unfair that the change from life to death is so painful to think about and feel.

It is contrasted with minuscule nature of life and the enormous amount of pain that one feels before dying. The fear and inability to do anything are unlike anything else in life. The “fading” in an out of sense pertains to the changes that go on in the life of every person. Usually, it is directed towards the negative and unwanted changes from something good to bad (Green, 2013).

“Waiting for Godot” is a play that has a great amount of interpretations. People from all walks of life will discover a personal connection that will be useful and entertaining.

References

Green, J. (2013). Reviews: Pairing Up Waiting for Godot and No Man’s Land. Retrieved from https://www.vulture.com/2013/11/reviews-no-mans-land.html

Nestruck, K. (2013). Stratford’s Waiting For Godot Is Worth It. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/summer-entertainment/stratfords-waiting-for-godot-is-worth-it/article12882062/