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Reflection
Through reading Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, my understanding of the
devastating effects of war on society and the ideology of existentialism was expanded. Because
Beckett wrote the play sometime between 1948 and 1949 in France, World War II had an acute
effect on not only Beckett, but also the rest of society. As a result of the numerous lives lost
during the war, much of the world came to realize the pointlessness of their actions. The
prevalence of death led many to recognize that each and every person will eventually die at some
point, urging them to focus on their present lives rather than their futures. Following the
conclusion of World War II in 1945 in Europe, Beckett became more aware that most people
went through the same monotonous actions everyday with few changes. These sentiments
became the basis for his play. When first reading the play, the characters and the plot simply
seemed absurd, acting in a way that no one in todays society would. However, after a thorough
discussion, we began to comprehend that Beckett utilizes the aggravating characters in order to
incite the audience to grasp the senselessness of our own actions. He encouraged the readers to
take control of reforming their lives in order to experience a meaningful life. In addition, the play
also indirectly criticized religion, which can be seen in the relationship between Lucky and
Pozzo. Because Lucky, a slave, refuses to run away even when he has the chance to, the readers
began to understand the deep ties that people have to their religion. Even if a religion may not
prove to be beneficial, one will often stay, hoping that God will lead them to the right path.
Overall, Becketts main message appeared to be that society needs to recognize the absurdity of
In Waiting For Godot, the two main characters, Estragon and Vladimir, waste time while
endlessly waiting for another man, Godot. They try absurd methods to cure their boredom, such
as suggesting that they hang themselves. Instead they meet a man named Pozzo, who entertains
them by commanding his slave, Lucky, to dance and think. Later, Godots messenger informs
Estragon and Vladimir that Godot will meet them the next day instead. However, on the
following day, the events follow the same monotonous pattern with a few small changes, such as
that the tree grows leaves and Pozzo becomes blind. Eventually, Godots messenger again
informs them again that Godot will meet them the next day, leaving Estragon and Vladimir
perpetually waiting for a man who will never come. Therefore, in Waiting For Godot, Samuel
Beckett utilizes symbols, such as the rope, the tree, and the boots, in order to criticize societys
The rope that Pozzo uses to control Lucky, his slave, embodies the various aspects of a
relationship between God and a worshipper. For instance, after Pozzo jerks the rope, Lucky
looks at Pozzo, and Pozzo commands, Think, pig!.. Stop!... Forward! (33). By jerking the rope,
Beckett criticizes the emotional bondage of practicing a religion. Whenever Pozzo pulls on the
rope, Lucky must perform an action. Similarly, when one feels that God has told them to do
something, the follower must put Gods command first rather than ones physical or emotional
needs. This also demonstrates how adherents of religion look to other people to lead them when
living in the moment and bettering the life that they are experiencing at that moment. As a result,
religious followers become obsessed with the future, rather than the present. Moreover, when
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Pozzo becomes blind, Pozzo and Lucky remain attached by the rope as before, but much
shorter, so that Pozzo can follow more easily (67). In this situation, Pozzo acts as the follower
in the relationship, while Lucky becomes the god-like figure. When Pozzo becomes blind, as he
experiences a more difficult situation in his life, the rope becomes shortened in order to allow
him to ease his difficulties. Similarly, when one undergoes a traumatic event in ones life, they
will often look for a closer link with God or someone who will lead them. However, when one is
content with their life, they disregard their faith, and look to lead themselves, demonstrating the
hypocrisy of religion. Furthermore, as Pozzo commands Lucky, Lucky puts everything down,
[and] puts [the] end of rope in Pozzos hand (79). Even though Lucky has the opportunity to run
away from his master and gain his freedom, Lucky chooses to hand the rope back to Pozzo,
keeping him captive. In a similar fashion, because they remain scared or simply too lazy, people
often choose to maintain a routine rather than break away and work for something better. They
practice religion because it is convenient, even though it may not necessarily prove to be
beneficial to them. When someone is born into a religion, they often continue to practice it
without exploring other options or questioning the validity of it because it provides the path of
least resistance rather than being something that one truly believes in. This also exhibits how
people put their fate into the hands of God instead of using their own efforts to better their lives.
They expect God to point them in the right direction instead of choosing to take a chance, which
cannot be blamed on another person and would instead only leave oneself to blame. In this
instance, Estragon and Lucky put their fate into the hands of an unknown stranger, Godot, whom
The tree in the background symbolizes peoples focus on the future rather than the
present. Initially, when Vladimir asks how to relieve their boredom, Estragon suggests, What
about hanging ourselves? (9). By hanging themselves, Vladimir and Estragon would hope to
gain new life through going to heaven. Death also offers them an easy way out of their unnamed
predicament. Instead of taking responsibility for something that got them in trouble, they would
rather just kill themselves, proving the absurdity of man. They would prefer to avoid dealing
with their problems than actually work to resolve them. Because they do not end up hanging
themselves because they do not have rope, this further demonstrates their laziness because rather
than acting and doing what they deem most effective, they choose to simply wait and see what
happens to them. In addition, even though the tree appears dead the first day, the next day the
tree has four or five leaves (47). Because Vladimir and Estragon do not realize the dramatic
change in scenery even though the tree is the only indicator of a setting, this reveals that they
remain so focused on the future that they do not see than anything that is around them. Estragon
and Vladimir choose to focus on the possibility of meeting a stranger who will solve all their
problems, which distracts them from perceiving their surroundings. The tree also represents a
chance for new life. Since no one attempted to revive the tree the previous day, the tree must
repair itself rather than rely on someone else. This contrasts Vladimir and Estragon, as they wait
beginning of the play, Estragon sits and is trying to take off his boot (1). By taking off his
boots, this hinders Estragon from moving anywhere. As a result, Estragon essentially wastes his
life, sitting in the same spot, reluctant to experience anything new. While he has the ability to
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change his life, he instead chooses to live the same monotonous routine, waiting for someone
who will never show up. In addition, when Estragon removes his shoes, this also removes any
semblance of being a civilized person, demonstrating that if one refuses to move forward, they
will revert back to primal behavior. Additionally, on the second day, when Estragon finds his
own boots, he claims that theyre too big (60). Even though the previous day Estragon thinks
that his boots seem too small, the next day he alleges that the boots are too large. In a similar
fashion, people find fault with everything. Estragon expects the boots to fit perfectly even though
they remain the same boots as the previous day. Rather than attempt to get new boots that fit, he
instead chooses to leave them, expecting someone to exchange them with ones that will match
his size. By relying on the chance that someone else will improve his life, Beckett criticizes the
laziness of society.
Overall, through the the symbolism of the rope, the tree, and the boots, Beckett
denounces humankinds reluctance to take action which will ultimately aid themselves in
advancing their lives. He urges to use an innate power to reform ones life. Each person should
act as the creator of their own destiny without relying on an outside figure. Therefore, Beckett
calls upon each person to take responsibility of their life in an effort to prosper and thrive.