Sunday, September 20, 2015

How does Waiting for Godot indicate that society is composed of dissillusioned individuals?

When you consider that the society of the play is composed of
four miserable people who have little hope for a reprieve from the misery, it becomes clear that
Beckett is exploring the theme of disillusionment and its affect on the individual. We have
absolutely no idea what has happened before the play opens, but quickly learn that Vladimir and
Estragon live the bleakest of existences and don't even seem to have the energy to complain about
it too much. They are homeless and starving, forced to sleep in ditches and steal the meager
amount of bad vegetables they can carry in their pockets -- radishes and turnips that they eat
raw. They get beat up by unknown others at night. They can barely remember who they are, where
they are, what day it is, or any significant elements of their lives. The one positive thing they
hold on to is the fact that they remember they are waiting for Godot. They hope that Godot will
tell them what to do; they are waiting for direction. But even on that note, Vladimir has a more
confidence than Estragon that Godot is going to actually show up. Estragon even forgets about
Godot a good number of times in through the play. The two men contemplate suicide, but don't act
on the idea. They seem, to me, almost beyond disillusioned. They aren't angry at their situation;
they don't cry about their situation; they don't recall the 'good old days' and question what
happened. Instead, they just talk to fill the time, try to fix their boots or hat, and try to
remember Godot. They are completely complacent.


The only other
significant characters are Pozzo and Lucky. Lucky is treated like a beast of burden with a rope
around his neck while he carries all of Pozzo's belongings. Pozzo and Lucky, like Vladimir and
Estragon, seem to completely accept the status of things and act as if this kind of human slave
situation is normal. Pozzo too questions nothing. We know little of his background except that he
has access to better food and a human slave. Beyond that, nothing. He doesn't question his
situation either. He too seems beyond disillusioned. Lucky can't even speak in intelligible
thoughts, so he is clearly beyond disillusionment, lost in his half-human world where he
mindlessly obeys orders.


All of these characters spend their time in
the play passing the time and waiting for the next thing to happen. They don't take any
meaningful actions for themselves as individuals. They don't make any choices which could change
their lives. Lucky and Pozzo disappear from the scene, and Vladimir and Estragon just stand
around waiting for Godot.

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