Waiting For Godot Samuel Beckett 1948 1951 Background

Waiting For Godot (Samuel Beckett, 1948 / 1951)

Background § The world of 1951 Europe and Waiting for Godot was characterized by dearth and lack. World War II in Europe had seen 50, 000 people murdered in the name of God or country. Existentialism and a grim Modernist outlook arose from the ashes of Romanticism. It gave rise to the idea that the ultimate responsibility for who you are lies with you, not with the state, Christianity or tradition. All these had failed the people of Europe during the war, had supported all the bloodshed. Enter Beckett.

Play exhibits that the world lacks… § Safety: p. 7, p. 37 the “they” that frequently beats Gogo

Lacks… § Loving relationships: couples rarely help each other or only out of desire to gain (money from Pozzo) or fear of retribution.

Lacks… § Life: barren landscape, only one tree that finally develops a few leaves. p. 8, p. 9 describing Dead Sea, mocking Romantic notions of Nature “you should have been a poet”; p. 57“they [women] give birth astride a grave”

Lacks… § Healing: p. 43 Gogo’s leg would festering; p. 17 Lucky’s “running sore”

Lacks… § Reliability: Gogo and Didi often fickle, leave on a whim. Sometimes present but rarely truly helpful.

Lacks… § Order: uncertain of day of week p. 11, time of day – dawn or dusk? p. 55

Lacks… § Answers/rational thought: p. 14 Socratic questioning leads in circles while “the essential doesn’t change”

Lacks… § Faith: p. 9 cannot rely on the apostles even to get the story of the crucifixion right. If Godot symbolizes God, he never shows up or keeps his appointment.

Lacks… § Salvation: Godot never comes, p. 48 “tree [nature] will not have been the slightest use to us”

Lacks… § Hope: Despair is the crux of the tone, pp. 31/32 the futility of purpose or lack thereof; p. 40 “puked by life away”; p. 42 despite it being springtime

Lacks… § Decorum/respectability: p. 17, Lucky “lucky” because he’s gaining erection with each tortuous tug; p. 60 Didi’s and Gogo’s desire to choke themselves for erection

Lacks… § Excitement: everything is the same. The world never changes. History repeats itself and we can only erroneously view the past with nostalgia.

Lacks… § Courage: fear of being alone, p. 59 fear of punishment if they don’t wait for Godot

Lacks… § Youth: all characters are old, outdated, even pining for the past, as if Gay 90 s had any merit. Shows how relegated to dustbin of history these characters are. Exception: The boy. But he cowed by the older characters.

Lacks… § Resolution/Climax: The fiction cycle is also missing. If the older generation’s mistakes are addressed, no solution is offered. If it’s tragic, no anagnorisis or catharsis arrives.

Godot = God? § If not, why not? What does this mean about the world of the play? § If so, what is God like? Why do Didi and Gogo wait around for him instead of seeking a better life? (What other options do they have in the play? )

But…life and the play possesses § Freedom. We are not bound by the human tendency to cling to the predictable and traditional. We are free to make our own choices instead of playing the foolish roles of Didi and Gogo. (Are we? Why do they stay and wait for Godot instead of going elsewhere? )