Life And Death In Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot

In Samuel Beckett Tragicomedy Waiting for Godot he begs the question of life and death. Throughout the commotion of the play Becket addresses the age old debate of the afterlife and if people willingly pass this life to enter into Gods kingdom or if God calls them. Beckett introduces characters such as Estragon, Vladimir, and Lucky to illustrate the different types of perspectives that man has taken on this debate. In Beckett’s tragicomedy he introduces a man who is aware of his staidness, but is unwilling to change his ways. When another character Pozzo claims that he does not “seem able … to depart” Estragon quickly voices his ideology as he says “such is life.” In the absurdness of the play his words appear to be nonsense, but when examined

Didi believes in a higher power and is not sure why, but his actions lead the reader to believe that he knows there is more than just a tree and a path, but there is something holding him back. Didi is waiting for God to pick him up and call him to something rather than his existentialist counterpart Estragon who wants to write his own destiny. Vladimir’s philological beliefs become evident when he asks himself if he “was sleeping while the others suffered? [and is he] sleeping now?” In the context of the play this question seems irrelevant, yet in the context of life these thoughts can be profound in meaning. Vladimir questions if he helped or hinders the morality of others was he a perpetrator of pain or a protector of peace. Among the apparent nonsense of the play there is a repetition of lines that are initiated by estragon and answered by Vladimir countless times in the play. Estragon says “Let 's go.” Vladimir replies “We can 't.” Estragon questions “Why not?” Vladimir answers “We 're waiting for Godot.” Estragon remarks an “Ah!” Vladimir appears to have the answers just as man attempts to make sense out of life, but is that the best course of actions. Should mankind be the ones in charge or should man surrender to an Invisible God or should man created their own destiny or should man attempt to adhere by the

Lucky a man of little words shocks the audience when he gives the longest speech in the play which at a glance makes no sense, but upon investigation Lucky could perhaps bestowed the reader with the most profound ideology in the play. Among all the gibberish Lucky expresses his thoughts: “Given the existence…of a personal God… outside of time … who loves us dearly… and suffers... with those who… are plunged in torment… for reasons unknown… as a result of the labors left unfinished.” Lucky answers the question Beckett and Roland Barthes and countless other authors have attempted to answer, and Lucky answer is simple. The reason is unknown the reason why literature is the question minus the answer is unknown the reason people are fearful of death is unknown the reason people are existentialist or essentialist is unknown. Beckett teachers the reader through lucky that for some questions the answer or reason is unknown. Seven times lucky repeats for reasons unknown. There are seven vices and virtues why? For reasons unknown. Seven days of the week why? For reasons unknown. Each time lucky proclaims “for reasons unknown” is another time for the audience to remember that nothing is certain and before they know it they will be called or wonder to a place outside of time for reasons unknown and their labors abandoned and left