play, Vladimir and Estragon remain stupidly cheerful, and seek distraction
in pointless activities. In doing so, they act rather comical, which gives
the play its humorous element. "The positive attitude of the two tramps
thus amounts to a double negation: their inability to recognize the
senselessness of their position" (Andres, 143-144). Vladimir and Estragon
try to distract themselves from the endless wait by arguing over mundane
topics, sleeping, chatting with Pozzo and Lucky (again over mundane
topics), and even contemplating suicide. All of this is an attempt to
remain oblivious of the fact that they are waiting for a vague figure,
partly of their own invention, that will never come. They do not want to
realize that their lives are meaningless. This behavior symbolizes
humanity's petty distractions. Humans have nothing else to do but try to
distract themselves from their situation. "...while, in the case of
Vladimir and Estragon, it is just the incessant attempt to make time pass
which is so characteristic, and which reflects the specific misery and
absurdity of their life" (Andres, 147-148). Vladimir and Estragon+s
attempts at distraction are attempts to make time pass, to draw them closer
to the time when Godot will arrive and solve all their problems. This is
pure wishful thinking, but this is all that they have to look forward to,
even if the action is meaningless. The only alternative to this is death,
which the two contemplate but lack the courage and initiative to carry
through. In the end, the only recourse left to humans is to persist in
meaningless action or perish. "Pozzo, after his vision of the emptiness
and futility of human life, revives his Lucky and cries, 'On!' though they
have nowhere to go and nothing to carry but sand" (Webb, 41).
To impose pattern and meaning on their world, humans will rely on
nebulous outside forces for relief and distraction from their predicament.
This is the only thing that can keep them going. Thus, in the play, Godot
is symbolic of such an outside force, which seems to be silent and
uncaring. Even so, he is still a pattern, and he infuses the two desperate
tramps with a purpose to their absurd lives. By imposing pattern on chaos,
Vladimir and Estragon achieve some degree of meaning. In this case, the
pattern is waiting. Vladimir, in his philosophical soliloquy while
contemplating whether or not to help Pozzo in Act II, 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-" (Beckett, 51). An illusion
of salvation is needed to cope with a meaningless life. Godot is that
illusion. Therefore we see that because of all the aforementioned factors,
that life is based on chance, that time is meaningless, that human life is
meaningless, humans are driven to invent or rely on such "Godots,"
otherwise they would perish. In essence, "'Waiting for Godot' is the story
of two vagabonds who impose on their slovenly wilderness an illusory, but
desperately defended, pattern: waiting" (Webb, 26).
It is never clear whether Godot is real or not, which is why he is
referred to as an example of a "nebulous force". In both acts, Vladimir
and Estragon mistake or suspect Pozzo of being Godot. They have never
actually seen Godot, and would not be able to tell him apart from a street
passerby. Their only contact with him is his messenger boy that comes at
the end of each day to inform them that Godot will again not be coming, but
will surely come tomorrow. The boy never remembers one day from the next,
another indication of the absence of a meaningful time sequence. At the
end of the second act, Vladimir, the more philosophical of the two, gets
a glimpse of the truth: that they will forever be waiting for Godot, that
he is merely a distraction from their useless lives, and that he can even
predict, ironically, when the boy comes again, everything that the boy will
say. It is at this point that a great depression overcomes Vladimir at the
realisation of the truth. It is the climax of the play and its most tragic
part. But Vladimir realizes that he is trapped, that he must persist in
the illusion, that he has no choice. This is the definition of "going on"
for humanity. There is no point. But it is the only option. "All of
these characters go on, but in the old ruts, and only by retreating into
patterns of thought that have already been thoroughly discredited. In the
universe of this play, 'on' leads nowhere" (Webb, 41).
"Waiting for Godot" is all about how the world is based on chance.
A world based on chance can have no orderly time sequence, and thus time
has no meaning. The extension, then, is that human life has no meaning.
Realizing this, humans will create distractions and diversions, in the form
of patterns and reliance on nebulous forces, to provide the purpose and
meaning that is inherently lacking in their lives. "Waiting for Godot" is
the classical, archetypical presentation of this facet of human existence.
Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down:
Ropes, Belts, and Cords in Waiting for Godot
By
Interpersonal relationships in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot are extremely important, because the interaction of the dynamic characters, as they try to satiate one another's boredom, is the basis for the play. Vladimir's and Estragon's interactions with Godot, which should also be seen as an interpersonal relationship among dynamic characters, forms the basis for the tale's major themes. Interpersonal relationships, including those involving Godot, are generally couched in rope images, specifically as nooses and leashes. These metaphors at times are visible and invisible, involve people as well as inanimate objects, and connect the dead with the living. Only an appreciation of these complicated rope images will provide a truly complete reading of Beckett's Godot and his God, because they punctuate Beckett's voice in this play better than do any of the individual characters.
The only rope that appears literally is the leash around Lucky's neck that Pozzo holds. This pair of characters appears separated by a rope that is half the width of the stage. In terms of the rope, the relationship between these characters is one of consistent domination. The stage directions say that "Pozzo drives Lucky by means of a rope passed round his neck." [p15] Lucky is whipped often. He is essentially the horse pulling Pozzo's carriage in a relationship that seems cruel, domineering, and undesirable, and yet Lucky is strangely sycophantic. In explaining Lucky's behavior, Pozzo says,
Why he doesn't make himself comfortable? Let's try and get this clear. Has he not the right to? Certainly he has. It follows that he doesn't want to...He imagines that when I see how well he carries I'll be tempted to keep him on in that capacity...As though I were short of slaves. [p21]
Despite his miserable condition, Lucky does not seem to desire change. Perhaps he is happy. Or perhaps he is not miserable enough. Or perhaps he has no sense of the world beyond his present situation; perhaps, as Vladimir and Estragon, he cannot envision himself any differently.
The relationship between Pozzo and Lucky does not, however, stagnate at this juncture. The very next day, when the two next appear, the rope between them is significantly shorter so that the now-blind Pozzo may find his way. In this new situation, it is less clear which character leads the other, or if either one is truly in control. As the stage directions read,
Pozzo is blind...Rope as before, but much shorter, so that Pozzo may follow more easily. [p49.5]
For the first time in the text, Pozzo is dependent on Lucky for direction; Lucky is dependent on Pozzo for the same reason, though this relationship is one of emotional, rather than physical, dependence. The shortness of the rope, necessary because of Pozzo's blindness, affects their relationship; their new-found closeness makes it difficult for Pozzo to dominate and for Lucky to be truly servile and completely pathetic. As the stage directions indicate, after bumping into Estragon, Lucky falls, drops everything and brings down Pozzo with him. They lie helpless among the scattered baggage. [p49.5]
The two men, one disabled with blindness and the other on the verge of death, are unable to rise off the ground, from which Pozzo hopes to ascend but cannot without assistance. He calls pathetically for help rising from the ground, which apparently represents despair in a manner similar to that of the forest floor in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter's forest sequence of chapters.
Pozzo tries to end the despair by telling Estragon to jolt the rope that is still around Lucky's neck. But Pozzo forgets that Lucky will react differently because, ignoring the vast differences between his own roped-in sadomasochistic relationship with Lucky and Estragon's blunt hatred of Lucky. So Estragon kicks Lucky in revenge, and the anger endemic in this action fails to achieve an upward result. Estragon's and Lucky's collective pathetic impotence soon ends, however, as Pozzo decides to once again dominate Lucky in the familiar manner. The loving belligerence resumes as Pozzo screams "Enough! Up pig!" Lucky soon gets up, since his normal condition (of being dominated by Pozzo) has been restored and he no longer must feel somehow equal to his master. Although the length of the rope is not literally changed, there is clearly an equilibrium length which must separate Pozzo from Lucky figuratively in order for their relationship to proceed naturally; any longer or shorter and there would not be the proper amount of domination and submission.
But is the despair found on the ground any different from the surrounding misery that is omnipresent in the lives of Vladimir and Estragon? In a way, it is, for there is a terminus to the despair of the ground: Pozzo and Lucky eventually get back on their feet. But, back on their feet, they reenter the surrounding, omnipresent misery. In being upright once again, there thus is a concurrent pleasure (in being away from the despair of the ground) and misery (in their omnipresent surroundings), further underscoring Pozzo's and Lucky's sadomasochistic desires.
Vladimir and Estragon have a similar relationship in many ways, for there is a certain amount of submission and domination in their interactions with one another. The submission and domination, however, is less consistent and less rigidly defined than it is for Pozzo and Lucky. But when the two principal characters seek to play a game, Vladimir suggests they "play at Pozzo and Lucky" [p47], a game that requires them to abuse one another for amusement. But Vladimir asks Estragon to play Pozzo and dominate him, a situation that diverges from Vladimir's seemingly normal assertiveness in their relationship. Overall, their relationship is one of misplaced dominance, where Vladimir is generally the stronger of the two, but he clearly wishes he were not.
As yet another way to pass the time, Vladimir and Estragon also consider suicide, by hanging with a rope. The rope that they would hang themselves with, however, is not the rope that ties their relationship together; their binding rope is figuratively present throughout the entire play and yet they cannot find a rope suitable for hanging themselves. The topic of suicide first arises in a fit of boredom, as the two friends search for ways to speed up the passage of time while they wait for Godot:
ESTRAGON: What about hanging ourselves?
VLADIMIR: Hmm. It'd give us an erection.
ESTRAGON: (highly excited). An erection!
VLADIMIR: With all that follows. Where it falls mandrakes grow. That's why they shriek when you pull them up. Did you not know that?
ESTRAGON: Let's hang ourselves immediately! [p12]
The erection, the ejaculation, and even the death itself would be something at variance from the monotony of their everyday waiting and would therefore help speed up the passage of time. But never do Vladimir and Estragon contemplate suicide in a realistic context, where they can see it as an act that would inevitably prevent them from meeting Godot (at least in the literal interpretation that he is human). Suicide for them, therefore, is just another diversion, perhaps a titillating autoerotic fantasy, but a diversion nonetheless, whose consequences they do not bother to or cannot fathom.
It impossible, however, for the two to kill themselves. They first realize that the only tree in their world, a weeping willow, will not support Vladimir's weight on the noose and therefore will not break his neck. The second day, Vladimir and Estragon cannot hang themselves because they do not have the requisite piece of rope. By the second day, however, they have forgotten that they cannot hang themselves from the only available tree, and therefore their complaints about the lack of a suitable piece of rope (and their attempts to substitute it with a belt of cord) are unnecessary. Thus, it seems that Vladimir and Estragon are merely using suicide as a topic for conversation, using the mere thought of an autoerotic death - one in which there is pleasure in sadness or pain, again, in a masochistic outlook - as an inherently pleasing ponder. Estragon says explicitly on the subject, "Don't let's do anything. It's safer." [p12.5]
How would suicide for Vladimir and Estragon be at all unsafe? If they are living a virtual death, then dying will be nothing but more of the same. But, if they are merely living an extraordinarily mundane and pathetic life, then death, particularly pleasant death, will be the exclamation point that relieves them of their boredom with life. And are these two possibilities all that different? It seems that Estragon gives credence to the former when he says "everything's dead but the tree" [p59.5], but, regardless, it makes no difference; for, since neither possibility can be any more unpleasant than life and one is far preferable to life's incessant boredom, it follows that the rope should be used; suicide should be attempted as the logical conclusion. Perhaps this is why the willow grows five new leaves and starts to weep - because its weak boughs prevent it from fulfilling the cries of the audience to allow the characters to kill themselves. And so, from one perspective, Vladimir and Estragon are roped to the willow and its potential for suicide while they are also being kept at rope's length from the potential for this achievement.
Vladimir and Estragon's sad situation of waiting endlessly for the mysterious Godot is another form of inescapable frustration. Vladimir, typically certain of his words while questioning their veracity upon the slightest prodding, denies Estragon's suggestion that they are tied to Godot. "To Godot? Tied to Godot! What an idea! No question of it. (Pause.) For the moment." [p14.5] There is, of course, a figurative rope that ties them to Godot, though Vladimir refuses to admit this. Even Pozzo recognizes that Godot "has your future in his handsI(pause)Iat least your immediate future." [p19.5] Interestingly, both Pozzo and Vladimir seems to believe that their view on Godot is only temporal; from characters who have no memory and at least an uncertain understanding of time, a vague foresight of changes to come illustrates their confusion with the character of Godot. Because the nature of Godot is at best unclear, it is impossible to determine the exact arrangement of Vladimir's and Estragon's relationship to him. Nonetheless, it is clear that this interaction in many ways follows the model already established: By waiting interminably for this most mysterious character without trying to escape the situation, there is a degree of masochism present in Vladimir and Estragon. Though it is not clear that Godot specifically enjoys their boredom and pain, their conversations with the boy make this most likely.
While Vladimir and Estragon are tied to Godot in the typical manner, Godot's rope to them is tied uniquely. Estragon questions what would happen if they left Godot, asking, "And if we dropped him? (Pause.) If we dropped him?" [p59.5] Godot, who the reader has assumed to be in control of his own actions, is apparently hanging, most likely from a noose. And Vladimir and Estragon, the inexorably bored and miserable sadomasochists who are virtually dead, somehow know that they have the power to drop Godot from his noose. It follows from the text that Godot - is he nothing more than Beckett's characterization of God? The similarities become harder and harder to ignore - is dead; as Vladimir says virtually immediately after Estragon's questions, "Everything's dead but the tree." [p59.5] But even though Godot is dead, "he'd punish us" if Vladimir and Estragon cut him free from his noose. Death for Godot, then, is perhaps less literal and more a figurative state in which he cannot or will not attend to Vladimir and Estragon though they wait for him. But if Godot is literally dead, as hanging from a noose should indicate, then he cannot directly cause the punishment. Rather, the punishment will come indirectly as a result of Vladimir and Estragon dropping him. With everything dead but the willow, what other punishment could there be but the death or defacement of the one glimmer of life and hope in an otherwise bleak existence - the tree. Here the tree perhaps represents Godot, Vladimir's and Estragon's only hope. Since Vladimir and Estragon are fundamentally hopeful individuals who would not want to see this last glimmer of hope destroyed, Vladimir's message is that they should not drop Godot. Instead, they should allow him to hang, and they should ignore his death; as humans should ignore Nietzsche's decision that the belief in "God is dead." And this, it seems Beckett hopes, must be the strongest rope of all in Waiting for Godot - the noose surrounding Godot's neck that is held aloft, and out of sight, by hope.
Analysis of Waiting for Godot
Although very existentialist in its characterizations, Waiting for Godot is primarily about hope. The play revolves around Vladimir and Estragon and their pitiful wait for hope to arrive. At various times during the play, hope is constructed as a form of salvation, in the personages of Pozzo and Lucky, or even as death. The subject of the play quickly becomes an example of how to pass the time in a situation which offers no hope. Thus the theme of the play is set by the beginning:
Estragon: Nothing to be done.
Vladimir: I'm beginning to come round to that opinion.
Although the phrase is used in connection to Estragon's boots here, it is also later used by Vladimir with respect to his hat. Essentially it describes the hopelessness of their lives.
A direct result of this hopelessness is the daily struggle to pass the time. Thus, most of the play is dedicated to devising games which will help them pass the time. This mutual desire also addresses the question of why they stay together. Both Vladimir and Estragon admit to being happier when apart. One of the main reasons that they continue their relationship is that they need one another to pass the time. After Pozzo and Lucky leave for the first time they comment:
V: That passed the time.
E: It would have passed in any case.
And later when Estragon finds his boots again:
V: What about trying them.
E: I've tried everything.
V: No, I mean the boots.
E: Would that be a good thing?
V: It'd pass the time. I assure you, it'd be an occupation.
Since passing the time is their mutual occupation, Estragon struggles to find games to help them accomplish their goal. Thus they engage in insulting one another and in asking each other questions.
The difficulty for Beckett of keeping a dialogue running for so long is overcome by making his characters forget everything. Estragon cannot remember anything past what was said immediately prior to his lines. Vladimir, although possessing a better memory, distrusts what he remembers. And since Vladimir cannot rely on Estragon to remind him of things, he too exists in a state of forgetfulness.
Another second reason for why they are together arises from the existentialism of their forgetfulness. Since Estragon cannot remember anything, he needs Vladimir to tell him his history. It is as if Vladimir is establishing Estragon's identity by remembering for him. Estragon also serves as a reminder for Vladimir of all the things they have done together. Thus both men serve to remind the other man of his very existence. This is necessary since no one else in the play ever remembers them:
Vladimir: We met yesterday. (Silence) Do you not remember?
Pozzo: I don't remember having met anyone yesterday. But to-morrow I won't remember having met anyone to-day. So don't count on me to enlighten you.
Later on the same thing happens with the boy who claims to have never seen them before. This lack of reassurance about their very existence makes it all the more necessary that they remember each other.
Estragon and Vladimir are not only talking to pass the time, but also to avoid the voices that arise out of the silence. Beckett's heroes in other works are also constantly assailed by voices which arise out of the silence, so this is a continuation of a theme the author uses frequently:
E: In the meantime let's try and converse calmly, since we're incapable of keeping silent.
V: You're right, we're inexhaustible.
E: It's so we won't think.
V: We have that excuse.
E: It's so we won't hear.
V: We have our reasons.
E: All the dead voices.
V: They make a noise like wings.
E: Like leaves.
V: Like sand.
E: Like leaves.
Silence.
V: They all speak at once.
E: Each one to itself.
Silence.
V: Rather they whisper.
E: They rustle.
V: They murmur.
E: The rustle.
Silence.
V: What do they say?
E: They talk about their lives.
V: To have lived is not enough for them.
E: They have to talk about it.
V: To be dead is not enough for them.
E: It is not sufficient.
Silence.
V: They make a noise like feathers.
E: Like leaves.
V: Like ashes.
E: Like leaves.
Long silence.
V: Say something!
One of the questions which must be answered is why the bums are suffering in the first place. This can only be answered through the concept of original sin. To be born is to be a sinner, and thus man is condemned to suffer. The only way to escape the suffering is to repent or to die. Thus Vladimir recalls the thieves crucified with Christ in the first act:
V: One of the thieves was saved. It's a reasonable percentage. (Pause.) Gogo.
E: What?
V: Suppose we repented.
E: Repented what?
V: Oh . . . (He reflects.) We wouldn't have to go into the details.
E: Our being born?
Failing to repent, they sit and wait for Godot to come and save them. In the meantime they contemplate suicide as another way of escaping their hopelessness. Estragon wants them to hang themselves from the tree, but both he and Vladimir find it would be too risky. This apathy, which is a result of their age, leads them to remember a time when Estragon almost succeeded in killing himself:
E: Do you remember the day I threw myself into the Rhone?
V: We were grape harvesting.
E: You fished me out.
V: That's all dead and buried.
E: My clothes dried in the sun.
V: There's no good harking back on that. Come on.
Beckett is believed to have said that the name Godot comes from the French "godillot" meaning a military boot. Beckett fought in the war and so spending long periods of time waiting for messages to arrive would have been commonplace for him. The more common interpretation that it might mean "God" is almost certainly wrong. Beckett apparently stated that if he had meant "God," he would have written "God".
The concept of the passage of time leads to a general irony. Each minute spent waiting brings death one step closer to the characters and makes the arrival of Godot less likely. The passage of time is evidenced by the tree which has grown leaves, possibly indicating a change of seasons. Pozzo and Lucky are also transformed by time since Pozzo goes blind and Lucky mute.
There are numerous interpretation of Waiting for Godot and a few are described here:
Religious interpretations posit Vladimir and Estragon as humanity waiting for the elusive return of a savior. An extension of this makes Pozzo into the Pope and Lucky into the faithful. The faithful are then viewed as a cipher of God cut short by human intolerance. The twisted tree can alternatively represent either the tree of death, the tree of life, the tree of Judas or the tree of knowledge.
Political interpretations also abound. Some reviewers hold that the relationship between Pozzo and Lucky is that of a capitalist to his labor. This Marxist interpretation is understandable given that in the second act Pozzo is blind to what is happening around him and Lucky is mute to protest his treatment. The play has also been understood as an allegory for Franco-German relations.
An interesting interpretation argues that Lucky receives his name because he is lucky in the context of the play. Since most of the play is spent trying to find things to do to pass the time, Lucky is lucky because his actions are determined absolutely by Pozzo. Pozzo on the other hand is unlucky because he not only needs to pass his own time but must find things for Lucky to do.
List of Characters in Waiting for Godot
Estragon: Estragon is one of the two protagonists. He is a bum and sleeps in a ditch where he is beaten each night. He has no memory beyond what is immediately said to him, and relies on Vladimir to remember for him. Estragon is impatient and constantly wants to leave Vladimir, but is restrained from leaving by the fact that he needs Vladimir. It is Estragon's idea for the bums to pass their time by hanging themselves. Estragon has been compared to a body without an intellect, which therefore needs Vladimir to provide the intellect.
Vladimir: Vladimir is one of the two protagonists. He is a bum like Estragon, but retains a memory of most events. However, he is often unsure whether his memory is playing tricks on him. Vladimir is friends with Estragon because Estragon provides him with the chance to remember past events. Vladimir is the one who makes Estragon wait with him for Mr. Godot's imminent arrival throughout the play. Vladimir has been compared to the intellect which provides for the body, represented by Estragon.
Lucky: Lucky is the slave of Pozzo. He is tied to Pozzo via a rope around his neck and he carries Pozzo's bags. Lucky is only allowed to speak twice during the entire play, but his long monologue is filled with incomplete ideas. He is silenced only by the other characters who fight with him to take of his hat. Lucky appears as a mute in the second act.
Pozzo: Pozzo is the master who rules over Lucky. He stops and talks to the two bums in order to have some company. In the second act Pozzo is blind and requires their help. He, like Estragon, cannot remember people he has met. His transformation between the acts may represent the passage of time.
a boy: The boy is a servant of Mr. Godot. He plays an identical role in both acts by coming to inform Vladimir and Estragon the Mr. Godot will not be able to make it that night, but will surely come the next day. The boy never remembers having met Vladimir and Estragon before. He has a brother who is mentioned but who never appears.