An aspect of the play which echoes the depressing concept that life is fundamentally meaningless is the frequent reference to suicide. This comes about in Vladimir’s mention of the Eiffel Tower. Vladimir referring to committing suicide says, “ We should have thought of it a million years ago, in the nineties… Hand in Hand from the top of the Eiffel Tower…”. The image Vladimir evokes of undertaking such an act is idyllic and the sense that he would like to ‘do it in style’ implies that he is glamorising suicide. It seems that there is a sense of their lives being meaningless, as it the boredom and pointlessness clearly evident in them, which forces the characters to contemplate suicide. Yet the very concept that the characters are searching for a means to do something ‘big’ implies that hope is nevertheless deep-routed in their psyche. The characters frequently suggest hanging themselves from a tree as shown by, “What about hanging ourselves” on p.18 and repeated often until the end of the play.
Estragon, commenting on the moon coming up says, “pale for weariness… of climbing heaven and gazing on the likes of us”. This is taken directly from ‘To the moon’ by Shelley: a poem, which implies that the moon’s weariness is a result of a futile cycle of repeatedly ‘climbing heaven’. Just as the moon’s life is full of fatigue, boredom and loneliness, the literary allusion reflects ideas in ‘Waiting for Godot’ that life is dreary and futile. In Act II, the growth of the leaves overnight is a comment on the unreality of reality. The implication is that something is real while it happens, but means nothing the next day. Beckett implies that fundamentally the concept of reality being solid is an illusion, echoed by the idea that life is very predictable, yet is also instantly forgettable.
The play itself has comical aspects to it, staged in such a way that it appears like a music-hall routine. Visually, the physical actions such as taking off a boot and the constant bickering between Vladimir and Estragon provide the same tone and mood as pantomime would. This may have its roots in films featuring Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. Beckett seems to create a rhythm through the pair’s routine of bickering, then having a row followed by reconciliation, and a comic deflation alongside. The comical nature creates a stark contrast with the essentially melancholy undertone of the play and some of its depressing themes. A discussion between the two characters that hanging themselves will provide ‘an erection’ creates the humorous idea that they will even contemplate death for sensation of some sort. Beckett plays on the concept that people want excitement in their lives by implying that the only excitement they can find comes in death.
The surreal and wholly unexplained circumstances surrounding the characters provide the audience with an absurd world of which they understand little. On the surface this may imply that life itself makes no sense, and thus is meaningless; yet through his satirical treatment of the character’s inability to go through with the suicide, Beckett suggests that however much people moan they have a fundamental tendency to cling to life. The possibility that hope is a way for people to combat the apparent futility of life implies that there may be meaning after all.
Beckett’s treatment of serious topics is complex. This is not only apparent in his satirical depiction of suicide, but also in his means of dealing with the theme of repentance. It arises during a conversation between the pair, which due to over-exaggerated actions and their comic bickering reflects further use of pantomime. Such a prospect is usually associated with an extreme emotional change of some sort. Vladimir’s attitude is instead cynical, not full of typical emotional heartbreak but rather merely opportunistic in his outlook. While referring to the story of ‘the thieves on the cross’, he implies that one of them being saved is “… a reasonable percentage”. His calculating way of perceiving the topic seems to suggest Vladimir is weighing up his chances of going to heaven. Such a cynical view combined with its farcical representation, has the implication that even those topics that are deep and serious are actually meaningless. There is a sense that it would make no difference if the characters avoided such conversation, and thus the sole reason for their doing so is lack of another means of entertainment.
Beckett’s presentation of phatic conversation echoes the concept that life’s serious aspects are actually mundane. While the characters appear to be musing on evidently serious topics, such talk it seems is merely to pass the time. The suggestion that conversation of all nature can be summed up as a means to pass the time is echoed by Vladimir when he says, “return the ball once in a while”. This not only means ‘join in the conversation’, but also suggests that life can be compared to a game. On p.58 there is a suggestion that even the rustling of the leaves is a means for them to talk to themselves. The surreal and poetic imagery of this is an implication that even nature has its own attempt to find meaning. The characters self-conscious struggle to do something, echoed by “that wasn’t such a bad canter”, in Act II shows that they are ironically aware of the futility of conversation, but also know that they need it.
Beckett’s world is one of loneliness, where even the Gestapo-like figure of Pozzo craves company as he states in Act I, “I am happy to have met you… Yes, the road seems long when one journeys all alone…”. Vladimir and Estragon are tramps and thus reflect humanity stripped down to its essential assets. They have infinite time and space to reflect as they have little else to do. While Beckett depicts the characters in such a way that they appear to be frequently joking around, he implies that this is actually a serious survival tactic. This leads to the idea that friendship is fundamental for people to deal with the harshness of life and its nonsensicality at a time where people have become less religious.
The literal concept of ‘waiting for Godot’ is important in creating meaning in Beckett’s world. In Act II Estragon says, “We always find something, eh Didi, to give us the impression we exist?” this echoes Beckett’s use of ‘Godot’ as a metaphor for something that we all need - a search to give people a sense of narrative and purpose. The sense of meaning that comes in humanity’s reluctance to give in, contrasts with the concept that it is a repetitive and inescapable routine.
