Various Interpretations in play ‘waiting For Godot’

 Various Interpretations in play ‘waiting For Godot’

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Name        :   Ravi  Bhaliya

Roll No      : 24

Paper         : The Modernist Literature

M.A                      :  Sem -3

Enrollment No    : 14101004

Year                     :  2015-16

Submitted  To     : Smt S.B Gardi Department of  English  

                              Maharaja  krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

Abstract

Samuel Beckett was an Irish playwright, poet and novelist best known for his play ‘Waiting for Godot’. Strongly influenced by fellow Irish writer, James Joyce, Beckett is sometimes considered the last of the Modernists. Though the play commonly interpreted within the context of the theatre of absurd, existentialist literature, it is also Christian allegory and also interpreted with religious interpretations. We can also find other aspects in this paly like Political and Psychoanalytical it provides better understanding.

Here we can discuss that nothingness in Waiting for Godot it shows some deep meaning in life in different way. ‘Waiting for Godot’ gives a message that while doing nothing there is something.

“Nothing is also better than something” . 

Key Words - ( Existentialism , Nothingness, Modernism, Absurdity, meaningless,political )

Existentialism

“Waiting for Godot ” is an existentialist play because it has clear hints of existentialism in it. If we study the term existentialism we would come to know that it is a philosophical doctrine which lays stress on the existence with his concrete experience and hardness. However, “Waiting for Godot” is an existentialist play for it embodies Christian existentialism. 

For Christian, existentialism religious leads to God, whereas according to the Atheistic Existentialism, it is based on the idea of Jean Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger who state that:

Man is alone in a godless universe.

The comparative study of both philosophies helps us to prove “Waiting for Godot” as a Christian existentialistic play.

We know that man is confronting the problem of his existence as a being. He is striving for his survival and to control the bridle of the pacing time. He is struggling to save his “individuality” and this very idea leads to the philosophy of existentialism.

The word “Existentialism” stands for one’s “awareness” of one’s “beingness”. It stands for a vital principal of life. “Waiting for Godot” resembles the existentialist literature because it deals not only with existence or identity but also with the momentary and the internal time. The time mentioned in “Waiting for Godot” is related to man’s mental condition. For instance, the major problem for the tramps is to make time pass in such a way that they are least bothered by it. Vladimir and Estragon constantly complain of the slowness of time passing and do their best to hurry it with their futile diversions.

 Estragon says:

Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful.

But we know that outside the natural time, its consequences flow on. For example, the tree has grown five or six leaves. Pozzo has grown blind and Lucky dumb.

 Here Estragon remarks:

They all change, only we not.

The play “Waiting for Godot” has all the traits of existentialism both Vladimir and Estragon represent the man in general who is facing the problems of his existence in this world. They are interdependent like all other man. Hope for salvation is the subject of play and is the problem faced by the whole human race. Representing the man in general, the two tramps realize the futility of their exercise and we note that they are merely filling up the hours with the pointless activity. Hence their ‘waiting’ is mechanical and deals with problem of existentialism.

Religious Reading

God and man

 In Waiting for Godot, both Vladimir and Estragon on stage, and Godot, who is away from the vision of the audience, bear a certain symbolic significance. Relationship between them suggests that of God and man.

Needless to say, Godot is similar with God in pronunciation, which is enough to trigger the audience's association with God. Of course, other descriptions of Godot in the play can also make the readers consider him to be God of Christianity.

From the description of appearance, Godot has similarities with God. The boy, a messenger, in the play is from Godot’s place and he is the only one who has seen Godot. The two tramps once asked him what color Godot’s beard is. There is a conversation between them.

Vladimir: Has he a beard, Mr. Godot?

Boy: Yes, sir.

Vladimir: Fair or… or black?

 Boy: I think it’s white, sir.

Vladimir: Christ have mercy on us!

It can be concluded that Godot wears a long white beard, which is in line with what God is like in the Holy Bible. There are descriptions about Godot similar in God in spirit. In the play, Godot can save, or punish, or try or take care of man. The tramps in the play think that as long as Godot comes, they will be saved. If they do not waiting for Godot, they would be punished by him.

 Waiting for salvation

 Waiting is the theme throughout the play. Although Godot breaks his promise, the two tramps have shown perseverance. Despite the heavy blow of painfulness, frustration and disappointment, they still keeps on waiting because that is their only hope for they believe only Godot can save them.

Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot  is commonly interpreted within the context of the Theater of the Absurd, existentialist literature, or Christian allegory. This thesis recognizes the validity of all such readings while attempting to merge these seemingly contradictory perspectives. By reading the play within the context of Christian Existentialism, new insights are uncovered as to what the play may be saying about the existential dilemma.  (Jing Wang)

Political Reading

Political reading mainly concern with the French resistance to Germany.  It was an interesting Political movement of Cold war .Here in this Context we may find Autobiographical things in this play. Smauel was the Disciple of James. And James who was don’t like the England. Here in the play relationship of Pozzo and lucky it presents  master slave relationship , Pozzo-Italian name  and Lucky – English name .on the other hand sadistic  relationship of England and Ireland .

Ethical

In this interpretation, there is the irony that only by changing their hearts to be compassionate can the characters fixed to the tree move on and cease to have to wait for Godot.

Estragon: [Feebly.] Help me!

Vladimir: It hurts?

Estragon: Hurts! He wants to know if it hurts!

Vladimir: [Angrily.] No one ever suffers but you.  I don’t count. I’d like to hear what you’d say if you had what I have.

 Estragon: It hurts?

 Vladimir: Hurts! He wants to know if it hurts!

The play begins with these two men on a barren road by a leafless tree. These men, Vladimir and Estragon, are often characterized as "tramps," and the world of this play is operating on its own set of rules, its own system where nothing happens, nothing is certain, and there’s never anything to do. The tramps are soon interrupted by the arrival of Lucky, a man/servant/pet with a rope tied around his neck, and Pozzo, his master, holding the other end of the long rope. The four men proceed to do together what Vladimir and Estragon did earlier by themselves: namely, nothing.

As the title suggests, the two tramps were waiting for Godot. To them, Godot stands for betterment or to be precise a ray of hope.

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.

 Estragon: On the other hand it might be better to strike the iron before it freezes.

Vladimir: I am curious to hear what he has to offer.

 Then we’ll take it or leave it. Estragon: What exactly did we ask him for?

 Vladimir: Were you not there? Estragon: I can’t have been listening.

 Vladimir: Oh…nothing very definite. Estragon: A kind of prayer.

Throughout the play, the tramps cannot be sure if they have met Godot, if they are waiting in the right place, if this is the right day, or even whether Godot is going to show up at all. While they wait, Vladimir and Estragon fill their time with a series of mundane activities and trivial conversations interspersed with more serious reflection. The desire to meet Godot was so intense among them, they would not mind if they have to wait for an entire lifetime.

Psychoanalytical 

Life is occupied by waiting. In Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett presents the suffering of the human condition; the two characters exemplify this condition of suffering through the juxtaposition of inaction and complaining. The term ‘waiting’ definitely well describes the nature of this play, taking part in every component of the play. In the play, the characters work collectively as a mind of their own in proceeding to contradict yet balance out one another’s actions as the course of the play goes on. Waiting for Godot is a mere interpretation of Sigmund Freud’s ideology of the mind.

Here Role of Estragon: Gogo is the ego in the play

Estragon: I may be mistaken. Let’s stop talking for a minute, do you mind?

Vladimir: All right. Gogo! . . . Gogo! . . . GOGO!

Estragon: I was asleep! Why will you never let me sleep?

Vladimir: I felt lonely.

Role of Vladimir: “Di-di (id-id) – who is more instinctual and irrational – is seen as the backward id or subversion of the rational principle.”

One thing in the play is obvious, Godot is the superego. He has the two characters, Estragon and Vladimir, chagrined by the very thought of him. The two return to the same spot multiple days and wait for Godot to come, as they do all the way through the entire play. Godot keeps the characters in check throughout the play.

The Freudian ideology of id, superego and ego all correspond to the functions of the mind; these aspects can all be comparative to the mindset of the characters in Beckett’s novel. Thus bringing the characters in waiting for Godot together, all being part of one psyche. 

Postmodernist Study

Post Modernism in the play

In postmodernism nothing is based on logical reasoning. Nothing is framed within a presupposed universal truth. In the 21st century everyone has lost faith in a perfectly ordered, rational universe. The world is a place where things happen randomly. You live or you die by chance. The conditions you endure, you endure by chance. There is no well-crafted plan, no scheme of justice in most parts of the world by which the universe operates.

“Actually postmodernism is a dramatic deviation of man’s thought line; it is a renaissance towards breaking the fossilized shackles of the prescribed norms and notions…”

 “Waiting for Godot” is Beckett’s very well-known and well discussed play. It has two acts. The main theme of the play is ‘nothingness’ or ‘meaninglessness’ of life and world. The play was originally published in French in 1948. So, the effect of World Wars we can see here, not by action, but by absence of action in the play. This play though it has not action, is multi-layered play. Here ‘nothing’ itself is ‘something’.  Beckett’s one remark is very much related with the play that each word seemed to him “an unnecessary stain on silence and nothingness”. Such absurdity we can find in this play.

Fragmentation

Noorbakhsh  Hooti says:

“Postmodernism relies heavily on fragmentation, paradox and questionable narrators.”

In this aspect, various elements, plot, characters, themes, imagery and factual references are fragmented. Fragmentation can be seen in language, sentence structure, characters and plot also .Here in this play we see too much short sentences and in that way conversation goes on. We do not find embellished language here. This is the example of fragmented language and mind also of one character from the play.

Uncertainty

Another symbol of uncertainty is the lightening. The only lightening effect is when days turn rapidly to night and the moon rises. The surrealistic effect of this heightened change from day to night amplifies the theme of uncertainty. It should also be mentioned that, this play was written after the Second World War, when the insecurity about the Soviet Union was the order of the day as the arms race gave rise to the possibility of nuclear war.

Helpless hope

Although it has been asserted in many interpretations of the play that there is not even a shade of hope in it, but in certain parts of the play we can feel that the existence of hope is oscillating in it. As Vladimir puts it “I am glad to see you back. I thought you were gone forever”.

However hope is sometimes felt substantially from the play, but hopelessness or deep gloom can be felt as well. When Pozzo’s autocratic style or behavior toward his submissive slave, Lucky, especially when his arrival is displayed in act 1, indeed causes this sympathetic feeling in the onlooker’s heart when he ties a person to neck and adjures him in the cruelest way. Moreover, this despairing feeling is intensified when Estragon and Vladimir take this tyrannical person for somebody else, as the person who is going to help them or save them, although that savior is called Godot.

Nihilism

 Nihilism is a radical philosophy of meaninglessness. The world and the people in it exist without meaning, purpose, truth and value. Any system of belief, or artistic expression, which denies or drains away meaning can be described as “nihilistic” (Noorbakhsh Hooti).

According to Baudrillard,

‘‘today’s nihilism is one of transparency, a nihilism that is a major source of indifference’’ 

To Wind up

A new day will come with new desire that something fruitful will come for somebody in life. One or two ways it may be God, a fruitful desire will come for somebody who is eagerly waiting that has no any end. A person who always has desire for any achievement till birth to death his list of desire will never come to end. In the same way for Godot there is ‘waiting’ which has no any end or meaning.  

 

Works Cited

Jing Wang. "The Religious Meaning in Waiting for Godot." English Language Teaching Vol 4 (n.d.): 197 - 200.

Noorbakhsh Hooti. "Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot: A Postmodernist Study." English Laguage and Literature Study Vol.No 1 .june 2011 (n.d.): 40 - 49.

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