Waiting For Godot By Beckett Essay, Research Paper

The purpose of human life is an unanswerable question. It seems impossible to

find an answer because we don’t know where to start looking. To us, existence

seems to be something imposed on us by an unknown force. There seems to be no

reason for it, therefore making the world seem choatic. For this reason, society

tries to make meaning of it by materialistic purposes to distract us from the

fact that it is actually a hopless and mysterious predicament. Samuel Beckett’s

two act play, "Waiting For Godot", captures this feeling and view of

the world. This viewpoint is shown by the difference between Pozzo and Lucky in

both Act I and II. Since this world is soley based on chance, human lives are

treated in an almost cruel manner. In act one, Pozzo is traveling to the market

to sell Lucky. Pozzo is totally healthy. Lucky is a perfectly normal slave who

has started to annoy Pozzo, so he is going to be sold. This is the first way

Valdimir and Estrogen see this odd couple. However, the next day Pozzo and

Lucky’s predicament have changed. Pozzo is blind and Lucky has become a mute.

When Valdimir and Estrogen confront them on these drastic hcanges, Pozzo’s

answers are confused. He has absolutely no recollection of the day before when

he ordered Lucky to "think" and claims Lucky has always been a mute.

When Valdimir asks him when he became blind, Pozzo responds, "I woke up one

find day as blind as fortune". When Valdimir asks him for details, Pozzo

answers violently, "Don’t question me! The blind have no notion of time.

The things of time are hidden from them too!" In this hopeless situation,

humans try to stay oblivious to thier true predicament. Throughout the play,

Valdimir and Estrogen remain stupidly cheeful, and look for distraction in

pointless activities. It is for this rason the play seems a bit comical at

times. Valdimir and Estrogen try to distract themselves from thier wait for

Godot by arguing over mundane topics, sleeping, talking with Pozzo and Lucky

(also about mundane topics) and even contemplating suicide. All this is an

attempt to remain oblivious to the reality they are oinly waiting for a vague

image, who may never come. In essence they don’t want to realize that thier

lives are meaningless. This vehavior is a perfect example of this world’s petty

distractions. In act two Valdimir 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-" This shows how Valdimir simply wants an illusion of a

safegaurd to cope with his meaningless life and Godot is that illusion for now.

In act two, Valdimir starts to look at life and in doing so gets a glimpse of

understanding this viewpoint. At this time Valdimir reaslizes that is waiting is

hopeless and Godot is only a distraction from his useless reality. Valdimir

begins to become depressed at this point. He realizes that he is trapped,

understands he has no choice and must persist in his illusion. There seems to be

no point, but only this option. "Waiting For Godot" is about how the

world is based on chance and meaingless behavior. In essence this means that

human life has no real meaning. When humans realize this, they create

distractions and diversions to make purpose and meaning for life. "Waiting

for Godot" is simply a play about the meaning of life.