WaitingForGodot.docx
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WaitingForGodot.docx
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WaitingForGodot
WaitingForGodot
EverymindhasstruggledwithExistentialism.Itsfounderstoiledtodefineit,philosophersstrainedtograspit,teachershaveadifficulttimeexplainingit.WheredotheseExistentialistsgettherighttotellmethatmyoneandonlyworldismeaningless?
Howcanastudentbelievethatsomeonewassittinginjailandfiguredoutthatourexistenceprecedesouressence?
Existentialismplacesmaninthecenterofhisownuniverse;freetomakehisownchoicesanddecidehispurpose.Manyofusarenotready
forthis.
Fortunately,theworldhascometotrustitsauthors.Youcan‟tjustsitdownandexplaintheExistentialistbelieftoaperson-itmustbeputintothecontextofthehumansituation.Throughstoriesandsituationstheideasaredefined-FranzKafka‟sTheMetamorphosis,
Jean-PaulSartre‟sNausea,FriedrichNietzsche‟sThusSpokeZarathustra,andtheateroftheabsurdplayslikeSamuelBeckett‟sWaitingforGodotandEugeneIonesco‟sAmedee-theyspinyouaroundonyourchairsoyouarefacingtherealworld,andthenshoveyourightintothemiddleofit.
Existentialismespeciallyturnsourattentiontowardthemeaningless,repetitiveanddullexistencesweallmustlead.Twoworks,TheMythofSisyphusbyAlbertCamusandWaitingForGodotbySamuelBecketthaveexemplifiedtheseexistentialpointsincontrastingperspectives.IntheessayTheMythofSisyphus,AlbertCamustakesalookatthestoryofSisyphus,amanthatscornstheGods,challengestheirpower,andcausesalotoftroubleinhislifeandafterlife.Ashispunishment,"Hiswholebeingisexertedtowardaccomplishingnothing."Hepushesandstrainshisentirebodytomoveaboulderupamountainslope,andwhenhereachesthetop,itrollsbacktotheverybottom.Sisyphusmustrepeatthistaskforeternity.Thisisalonelyandpainfulexperience.Atfirst,Sisyphusmustfeelsuchagonyandregret,butCamusbelievesthatSisyphusishappy.Maybethefirst,second,orhundredthtimethathereturnedtohisrock,herealized:
thoughhisfatetieshimtothisceaselessandfutilelabour,heistheownerofthatfate.Onceweareconsciousoftheuselessandabsurdthingswedodaily,wecanacceptthemasourduty,andrevelinjoythatweaccomplisheventhemostmeaninglessgoals.Sisyphuswalksdowntheslopereadytotryagain,andreadytofail,becauseitishis
purpose.
Camushasaddedalittlebitofhopetotheliveswesooftenregret.PerhapsCamusbelievedthatSisyphustriesagainbecausesomedayhecanpushtherocktotheverytop,anditwillstay.ThroughtheplayWaitingforGodot,SamuelBeckettleaveslittleroomforhope.Twocharacters,VladimirandEstragon,arewaitingforamancalledGodot.Everydaytheywait,inthesamespot,livingouttheirlivesbelievingthatGodotwillcome.Theyareunsure,unsatisfied,andunhappybecausetheywait.Theyarerestrictedintheiractionsanddecisionsbecausetheywait.Thisexchangeoccursatleastfivetimesintheonlytwoactsoftheplay:
"Let‟sgo".
"Wecan‟t"
"Whynot"?
"We‟rewaitingforGodot"
Vladimir-tallandabstract,andEstragon-stout,earthlyandconcrete,representtwohalvesofthesameperson.TheyaredependentoneachotherandbotharedependentontheirdesiretomeetGodot.Theroles,time,andstatesofconsciousnesschange,butfor
nopurpose,becauseeverythingstrangelyremainsthesame.Astheywait,theyplayrepetitivegames,askedunansweredquestions,andspeakmuch,butseldomact.Soundfamiliar?
VladimirandEstragon‟ssituationisourown.Throughthecharacters‟repeatingactionsandwordsandtheplay‟sobviousabsurdity,Becketthasshownushowabsurdandredundantourlivestrulyare.Whilewaitingforsomethingthatdoesn‟texist,
werunaroundincircles,makethesamemistakes,andlosefaith-yetretainagreatdealofdenialaboutitall.Eachday,Godotfailstoappear.VladimirandEstragonreturnagain,inhopethathemightcometomorrow.LikeourownGods,Godotneverappears.Wecontinuetolingerinhopesofbeingsaved.
ThereisacornucopiaofexistentialconnectionsinWaitingForGodot.andTheMythofSisyphus.VladimirandEstragonsuggesttheyhangthemselvesfromthetree-Atreethatisalwaysthere,alwaysinview.ThistreeisDeath,anoptionavailableatalltimes
forthem.VladimirandEstragonalwayshadthechoicetoliveordie,asExistentialistJean-PaulSartrebelievedisthefundamentalchoiceforallofus.TotheExistentialists,thechoiceoflifeisthecauseofmuchmentalanguish-Sisyphusknowsthateverytimehemanagestogetthatrocknearthetop,itwillonceagainfall-hehasmadeachoiceinhislifeandmustsufferinhisdeath.VladimirrealizesthathemustreturntothesameplacetomorrowandwaitforGodottoarrive.Perhapsdeepinside,Vladimirknowsthathiswaitingisfutile,butwhatelsecouldhedo?
AtleastEstragonwasluckyenoughtonotrememberthedaysbefore.
InWaitingForGodot,doesVladimirhavethesameenlightenmentasSisyphus?
Theirsituationsareverydifferent.SisyphushasbeencondemnedbytheGodstopushhisrock;thisinescapablepunishmentrepresentsthethingsinourlivesthatwecannotchange.VladimirandEstragonareseeminglywaitingforGodotbychoice.Theircircumstancecouldrepresentourblindnessofthethingsinwhichweactuallydohavecontrol.Ifitwashisdestinytowait,VladimircouldhavebeenhappybyacceptinghisdestinyasSisyphushadacceptedhis.IfVladimirwerefree,hecouldhavepushedhisrocktothetop,letitdrop,andmovedon.
Thisbringsanotherquestion:
CouldSisyphushavemovedonalso?
Itseemsthatifhecouldmakethechoicetoreturntohisrock,hecouldalsomakethechoicetoleaveitbehind.WearenotsureofSisyphus‟sconsequences,butinourlivestherearemanythingstoconsiderwhenmakingchoices;ourfamilies,ourlovedones,andourfutures.Ifwechoosetorunfromourdestinies,wewouldonlyfindourselvesexactlywherefatewishesus.IfSisyphushadpushedhisrocktothetopanditremainedstill,onthewalkdowntheslopetofreedom,therockwouldrollbehindhimandsquashhimflat.
BetweenWaitingForGodotandTheMythofSisyphus,welearnalittlebitabouttheredundancyofourlives;"Habitisagreatdeadener."Vladimirstatesneartheendofthe
play.Itisamatterofhowweperceiveourmisfortunesthatdetermineatruevictory.If
webecomeslavestoourfates,thentherockhaswon.Ifwemockthecruelhandoffate,itcannevercrushus,andwehaveaneternitytocelebratethetriumph.
ChanceinWaitingforGodot
ChanceplaysamajorroleinSamuelBeckett‟stragiccomedy“WaitingforGodot”.Inhumanlife,chanceratherthanreasonisthemaininfluenceonourlives.AccordingtoBeckett,lifeofhumansiscompletelydependentonchanceandasaresultofthistimewouldbemeaningless.Chancehasanimpactonthevalueoftimeanditisalsotheunderlyingfactorbehindexistence.
In“WaitingforGodot”itissuggestedthatexistenceisbasedonchanceandbyextension,humanlifeisbasedonchance.Beckettestablishedthisveryearlyonintheplay.“Oneofthethieveswassaved.It‟sareasonablepercentage”(Beckett,5).VladimirherereferstotheparableofthetwothievesfromtheBible.PerhapsBeckett‟sintendedmeansthatthefateofhumansisdeterminedrandomly.Thereisanunknownpercentagechancethatonewillbedamned.Thereisnopatternbehinditallandonedoesnotknowhowbigthechancesofbeingdamnedorsavedare.Thereforeonecansaythatalifebasedonchancehasnomeaning.
Salvationisdeterminedbychanceaswell.AccordingtotheGospelthehourdisciplesofJesuswerepresentduringhiscrucifixionandsawthetwothieves,whichwerecrucifiedwithJesus,beingsavedordamned.Allfourdiscipleswerepresent,butonlytwoofthemstatesthatsomethingoutofordinaryhappened.“…howisit-thisisnot
boringyouIhope-howisitthatofthefourEvangelistsonlyonespeaksofathievebeingsaved.Thefourofthemwerethere-orthereabouts-andonlyonespeaksofathievebeingsaved”(Beckett,6).Oneofthetwosaidthatonlyoneofthethieveswasdamned,whiletheothersaidthatboththieveswerebanned.Itmightnotseemofgreatimportance,butdoeshechanceforsalvationnotvaryagreatdealhere?
Ifallthievesweresaved,thenchancesforsalvationwouldbeahundredpercent,butifthreeofthefourthievesweredamned,chancesofsalvationwouldbenomorethantwenty-fivepercent.Salvationthereforeisdeterminedbychance.
Onecanseethearbitraryofchanceinthetwoboys.OneofthemgetsbeatenbyGodotandtheotheronedoesnot“Hebeatsmybrother,Sir”(Beckett,55).ThereseemstobenoreasonforGodottobeatoneoftheboysbutnottheother.Thissymbolizesthe
chancesofbeingsavedordamned.IfoneoftheboysgetsbeatenbyGodotwhiletheotherhasitgood,chancesofbeingsavedwouldbefiftypercent.
AccordingtoBeckett,timeisbasedonchance.Thereseemstobenoorderedpatternin“WaitingforGodot”.VladimirandEstragon‟sworldisoneofchaosandnorealorder.Thetree,whichistheonlysetting,isbarrenononedayandfullofleavesthenext.EverydayVladimirandEstragonreturntothesameplacetowaitforGodot,whoneverappears.“Andifhedoesn‟tcome?
”“We‟llcomebackto-morrow.”“Andtheday
afterto-morrow.”“Untilhecomes.”(Beckett,9).Nooneseemstorememberwhat
happenedthedaybefore“Whatdidwedoyesterday?
”(Beckett,9).NeitherVladimirnorEstragonseemstobesureofwhathappenedinthepast.Theyonlymakeassumptionssuchas“Inmyopinionwewerehere”(Beckett,9.)
Thesettingoftheplaythereforerepresentsthatti
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