WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT PAPER - 7

Department of English,M. K. Bhavnagar University     

Name :-  Niyati Vyas

Roll No :- 14

Department :-M. A.English department

Submitted to :-  Dr. Prof. Dilip Barad

Semester :-  2

Paper No :-  8 THE TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERATURE FROM WORD WAR || TO THE END OF THE CENTURY 

UNIT - 1  SAMUEL BECKETT'S WAITING FOR GODOT

ASSIGNMENT TOPIC -  How far does the play reflect the theme of existentialism?

ANS - 

                          Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot is generally regarded as a quintessential example of existentialism precisely because of its treatment of the play's titular figure. Godot never appears in the play—forcing readers and playgoers to ask questions like "does Godot actually exist?" Troublingly, no answer is provided by the play, which forces audiences to confront the absurdity of potentially waiting for someone who does not exist.

                             Waiting for Godot examines the problem of existentialism in some detail, without ever suggesting a solution. Although "existentialist" is a label applied to a wide range of thinkers, some of whom, such as Camus, rejected it, the philosophy is always concerned with meaning and, more specifically, with the idea that life has no predetermined meaning for us to find. The solution often suggested, with varying degrees of confidence, is that one must decide for oneself the meaning of one's own life.

                              The characters in the play, however, do not find, decide upon, or create meaning. Vladimir and Estragon wait endlessly for someone who never comes. Lucky babbles incoherently when requested to think. Pozzo falls from a position of dominance and confidence, yet his fall has none of the significance and dignity of tragedy.These actions and attitudes are all failures of meaning.

                           Beckett, however, adds to existentialism some of the ideas he learned from Proust, on whose work he wrote an incisive critical essay almost twenty years before Waiting for Godot. Proust believed that wisdom cannot be taught. It is the result of a journey through absurdity which no one else can make on your behalf. The audience of Waiting for Godot is presented with absurdity, and it is up the the audience to find the meaning. Some audience members may feel they can interpret and learn from Lucky's speech. Others may decide that the comradeship Vladimir and Estragon find in the face of absurdity is a form of meaning. The very fact that you are sitting and being confronted with words and images will impel your brain, a sense-making machine, to try to bring order to them. This is how Beckett leaves the solution of the existentialist conundrum, the finding of meaning, to each individual member of the audience, making the number of meanings to be found in the play potentially limitless.

                             SamuelbBeckett’s play Waiting for Godot is widely considered the quintessential literary expression of existentialism.  Vladimir and Estragon are waiting endlessly and, conceivably, pointlessly, for an unseen figure named Godot who may or may actually exist.  “Existentialism,” of course, is a thoroughly amorphous concept pertaining to the nature of man and his relationship to the world he inhabits.  It is a relatively new philosophical concept that many critics and analysts feel found its greatest expression in Beckett’s treatment.  One of the central tenets of existentialism is the sense that life is cyclical and what happened before will happen again.  As such, Waiting for Godot presents seemingly endless examples of its two main characters repeating themselves and speaking in circles – the very style and pattern of dialogue that can make Beckett’s play a thoroughly maddening experience if the viewer does not happen to be in the right frame of mind, which would beg the question of why that viewer would be in the audience in the first place.

                           As noted, Waiting for Godot, depicts two tramp-like figures, Vladimir and Estragon, standing near a tree in an otherwise sparse setting.  Their ostensible purpose for being there is that they are waiting for a character named “Godot.”  They repeatedly refer to Godot in terms that indicate this is a real person:

ESTRAGON:

Charming spot. (He turns, advances to front, halts facing auditorium.) Inspiring prospects. (He turns to Vladimir.) Let's go.

VLADIMIR:

We can't.

ESTRAGON:

Why not?

VLADIMIR:

We're waiting for Godot.

ESTRAGON:

(despairingly). Ah! (Pause.) You're sure it was here?

VLADIMIR:

What?

ESTRAGON:

That we were to wait.

VLADIMIR:

He said by the tree.

Godot, of course, will never appear.  The question of Godot’s existence is only part of the play, as the visits by Pozzo and Lucky will provide the opportunity for Beckett to inject additional absurdity into his narrative, as when the second visit by these two travelers evokes an increased sense of existential doubt when Pozzo disputes the notion that he had been at this precise spot on the day before, claiming to have lost his sight, with Vladimir and Estragon then engaging in the seminal discussion of whether they exist and how they know they do:

POZZO:

Who are you?

VLADIMIR:

Do you not recognize us?

POZZO:

I am blind.

ESTRAGON:

Perhaps he can see into the future.

VLADIMIR:

Since when?

POZZO:

I used to have wonderful sight— but are you friends?

ESTRAGON:

(laughing noisily). He wants to know if we are friends!

VLADIMIR:

No, he means friends of his.

ESTRAGON:

Well?

VLADIMIR:

We've proved we are, by helping him.

ESTRAGON:

Exactly. Would we have helped him if we weren't his friends?

Further indication of Beckett’s intent to immerse the audience in an existentialist crisis involves Vladimir and Estragon’s insistence on referring to themselves by different names, specifically, Gogo and Didi, thereby lending the play an additional level of identity uncertainty.  Waiting for Godot is all about the question of existence.  Discussions of the tree near which the two tramps stand for the duration of the play, as when they converse about whether the tree is a tree as opposed to a bush or shrub and, if it is not actually a tree, then are they waiting at the wrong place? 

Existentialism is a fine and legitimate subject of discussion.  Waiting for Godot, however, adopts the basic concept and takes it to its logical conclusion, which can be entertaining, but can also be intellectually stultifying and emotionally arduous. Existentialism in “Waiting for Godot” 

• “Waiting for Godot” is a play in which Samuel Beckett adopted the doctrine of existentialism. Critics call it one of the prominent existentialist plays that demonstrate theme of existentialism as main story of the play. However, certain elements are there in it that reveal theme of nihilism too. Nihilism and existentialism are two distinct things still it seems that Samuel Beckett combined them in order show superiority of Existentialism. Some of the critics are of the opinion that “Waiting for Godot” is neither entirely on existentialism nor entirely on nihilism but somewhere in between.

Whats is Existentialism?

Jean Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger presented theory of existentialism in which they stated that humans had been thrown in a meaningless universe in which they had no purpose at all. They were put in absurd situation by an unknown force and were living in mental pains and sufferings. Life is terrible or not, it is not the topic relevant to theory of existentialism. Hence, main reason behind sufferings of humans is not the terrible world but that they are freely living in it. They are free to choose but irony is that no choice is given to them but existentialism believes that even not making a choice is a choice. In concise words, existentialism is theory that believes “man is what he does”.

Existentialism in “Waiting for Godot:

“Waiting for Godot” is indeed a play that demonstrates theme of existentialism. Two main characters of the play named as Vladimir and Estragon are put into an absurd situation just like humans have been put in the world without any purpose. In whole play they do nothing to change their miserable condition. Existentialism emphasizes on the practice of doing something and creating a purpose while accepting existence in this world. Hence, they have freewill to make their life better. They can come out of this situation and can give their lives a meaning but they do nothing. Estragon’s dialogue is notable in this regard. He says:

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

Estragon- Waiting for Godot

He knows that his situation is awful yet he does nothing to make it better.

Christian Existentialism “Waiting for Godot”:

Believing on existence of God does not change meaning of existentialism. Characters are finding their purpose in this world. They want answers of their questions like who they are and why they are here? It is, therefore, Estragon says:

“We always find something, eh Didi, to let us think we exist?”

Estragon- Waiting for Godot

“Waiting for Godot” is a situation that has no begging and no end. Tramps don’t know about their past nor are they sure about their future. It is a situation which every person in the world facing. Samuel Beckett also said the same. In his eyes, we are all like Estragon and Vladimir. Furthermore, he is of the view that the play is more about waiting. Thus, it is true that they are living in an absurd world that is one of the major characteristics of existentialism.

Meanings of Existentialism in “Waiting for Godot”:

Simplest definition of existentialism is that “humans define their own meaning in life, and try to make rational decisions despite existing in an irrational universe”

Above said definition can be divided into three parts.

• Universe is irrational
• Humans existence in it and
• Humans define meanings of life with rational decisions.

If so, then “Waiting for Godot” frankly promotes theory of existentialism. Estragon and Vladimir are existing in irrational world, and they have defined meanings of their lives i.e. “waiting for Godot”. He would come and answer them. They are loyal to their purpose.

Even otherwise, if that is not their purpose then Samuel Beckett intimates us that instead of waiting for godot one should set purpose of his life and existentialism also suggests the same.

Existentialism deals with individual existence, freedom and choice. “Waiting for Godot” presents the same notion due to which it is called “a play that advocates theory of existentialism”.

Suffice is to say that there are two aspects of the play through which it can be seen. Firstly, it shows theme of despair and nihilism. Secondly, “Waiting for Godot” promotes philosophy of existentialism. However, majority of the dialogues, settings, actions [useless actions] reveal that existentialism is the main theme of “Waiting for Godot”.

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