Waiting for Godot: "Nothing to be done" ?
"A masterpiece that will cause despair for men in general and for playwrights in particular."1 This probably would be the best way to describe Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot", translated from its original in French, "En Attendant Godot", by Beckett himself. In this "tragicomedy in two acts" Beckett, tries to introduce the readers to the pointlessness of the world we live in today. The play as a whole, is an illustration of the nothingness that we all, the minute we adopt to the ways of life, become part of. Beckett's main characters are leading a life, in which, nothing seems to have happened, and there are no signs of anything that might happen in the future. The play itself rests on the "might" factor, which is the most prominent part of the non-exisitent plot. Nothing has happened and both the main characters are waiting for something to happen, although neither of them seem to be doing anything to end the wait. During the course of the wait, suicide was considered and so was parting but neither of the two options carried out. Both of the options were rejected on the grounds of quite absurd reasoning. Vladimir and Estragon remain where they are and indulge in the most unusual conversations and actions. Beckett, creates a balance in the pessimistic attitude of one character, and the optimistic behaviour of the other, to present us with the actuality. He, in this manner, tells us that the absurdity of life does not lie in the hopeful waiting that everyone indulges in. The aburdity is in the hopelessness of our lives which we tend to overlook while waiting, for Godot or any such entity for that matter. When looked at on a deeper level, it is very clear that Beckett is not trying to draw a completely pessimistic point of view but a situation where pessimism is inevitable yet the chances of being optimistic about certain things prevails.
"Vladimir: …. What are you doing ?
Estragon: Taking off my boots. Did that never happen to you ?
Vladimir: Boots must be taken off every day, I am tired telling you that. Why don't you listen to me?
Estragon: (feebly). Help me !
Vladimir: It hurts?
Estragon: (angrily). Hurts ! He wants to know if it hurts !
Vladimir: (angrily). No one sufers but you. I don't count. I'd like to hear what you'd say if you had what I have."
Beckett, has projected Vladimir and Estragon as, what can be called, symbols of absurdity. They lead simple lives, with literally nothing in possession, but clothes to cover them and a place to sit, and even those they don't seem to know how they got. Their speeches are a mere articulation of random thoughts, which only acts as a complement to its absurd nature. Since these are just random thoughts, almost all the time they are talking about unrelated things but somehow always end up talking about the fact that they are waiting. Each time the wait is mentioned, there is a "(despairing) Ah !" from Estragon invariably followed by "silence". Estragon seems to be worried by the most troubled by the most futile things. Not being able to take off his shoes, is the first time we see Estragon, in Vladimir's words, "suffer". Both of them talk in short sentences, usually, one word or phrases. While Estragon is often heard saying "nothing" and its likes, Vladimir often says things, that could have more than one implication. In saying, "Never neglect the little things in life", Vladimir is not only talking about buttoning his fly but also about life in general. Thus, Beckett, through their actions and speeches shows us how all our lives would be absurd and meaningless, had we not added so many different flavours to it, and fabricated it to look meaningful and purposeful.
"Vladimir : Wait.... we embraced ... we were happy ... happy ... what do we do now that we're happy ... go on waiting ... waiting ... let me think ... it's coming ... go on waiting ... now that we're happy ... let me see ... ah!
The tree !
Estragon : The tree?
Vladimir : Do you not remember?
Estragon : I am tired.
Vladimir : Look at it.
They look at the tree.
Estragon : I see nothing.
Vladimir: But yesterday it was all black and bare. And now it's covered with leaves.
Estragon: Leaves ?
Vladimir: In a single night.
Estragon: It must be the Spring.
Vladimir: In a single night.
Estragon: But I tell you we weren't here yesterday. Another one of your nightmares."
When they return (return would be inappropriate here, since at the end of the previous act they "don't move"… although they do in the beginning of the second act talk as if they had parted) in the second act of the play, Estragon is certain that they have never been in the place. Despite the many evidences Vladimir shows and the fact that he remember nothing that happened in the past, Estragon stands on his ground and denies having been there before. When dismissing Vladimir's idea of having been to the place before, Estragon says, its "another one of your nightmares". Like this, in many other instances, Beckett in a very subtle manner tries to show the whole situation as being an unfortunate reality. While Vladimir is the slight more optimistic one of the two, Estragon sees no solution to any problem nor any reason in the never ending wait. In fact, pessimism seems to have blinded Estragon so much that even the most apparent and obvious changes that occur in his surroundings are not visible to him. "They look at the tree" but Estragon can "see nothing". The fact that Vladimir notices the leaves that have sprung up on the tree in the course of one night, is indicative again of his optimistic nature. Thus, the setting in Waiting for Godot, also changes for the better, from a bare tree, to a tree with a few leaves on it.
"Estragon: Why don't we hang ourselves?
Vladimir: With what?
Estragon: You haven't got a bit of rope?
Vladimir: No.
Estragon: Then we can't.
Silence.
Vladimir: Let's go."
Another example of optimism would be the fact they keep considering suicide, but they never put their thoughts into action. Beckett, brings this up, a number of times, to show the readers, that even though they see no point to their lives, they don't cherish the thought of putting an end to it. it could be said that not having a rope or the belt being too short, could just be an absurd reasoning that they decide upon. The boy's frequent appearances gives the reader something to look forward. Although he only comes in to say that Godot would not be coming that day, but definitely the next day. The absurdity of course in this situation lies in the fact that, everytime the Boy comes "he destroys all hope of a real connection by asserting that he had never come before"1. Thus, through the decision to not commit suicide and in the news that Godot will arrive the next day, Beckett once again brings in optimism into the plot.1
Thus, we see, through all the examples that Waiting for Godot is in fact not a wholly pessimistic play. Even though at a first glance one would judge it to be completely pessimistic, when looked at on a deeper level you can tell even though pessimism is inevitable the chances of being optimistic prevails. The leaves on the tree, the boy bringing news of Godot's arrival, them not committing suicide, would be some of the main examples of recurring optimistic instances in the book.
