Introduction
Waiting for Godot is outwardly simple but inwardly a complex play. The play has one of the most minimal setting as well as dramatic personages. Yet the play successfully exhibits some themes closely associated with uncertainty as well as the meaninglessness of life. Characters are representatives of humanity; setting, human existence and their actions show the ultimate truth about the human condition. Let's discuss the core themes of this play in detail:
Uncertainty of Time
One of the most obvious themes of Waiting for Godot is the uncertainty of time. The play is replete with examples in which time looks relatively uncertain. For example, when Act 2 is proceeded by Act 1, we as the audience think that only a day is passed but looking at the growth of the leafless tree (in Act 1) it is difficult to deny that a significant amount of days have gone by. And also, Estragon fails to recognize Pozzo may be due to his weak memory as well as the passing of an uncertain amount of days. Also, both Estragon and Vladimir fail to gauge the exact time of their companionship. Other than this, the time in the first act seems to move naturally because we (vaguely) witness the shift of time from the sunset to the moonrise. But time is mostly uncertain and unpredictable in Waiting for Godot.
Meaninglessness
Meaninglessness is an important theme of this play. Both Estragon and Vladimir try to seek meaning out of their existence by waiting for the mysterious Godot about whom no one knows exactly. Speaking about meaninglessness, the play is also inherently meaningless. The playwright wants us to convey that there is no inherent purpose to life in general. We are sent into and sent out of this world without us doing anything significant. Much like the protagonists of the play who are waiting for a pointless and even empty promise. The play generally wants to capture the mode of the people who think that they are acted upon the world where they "exist". So, Godot can be interpreted as a name for pointlessness (in life).
Absurdity
Waiting for Godot is chiefly about the absurdity of existence both in this play as well as in normal life as well. We see Estragon and Vladimir dressed in shabby clothes, indulging in physical activities as well as in cross-talk in music-hall only to pass the time and to wait for a meaningless promise to fulfil that is likely not to get fulfilled. The play likely hints that doing nothing is the only way to avoid being criticized but as Anwar Ahmad puts it in his post that it is much difficult to get through life without doing nothing. When one does nothing, one achieves nothing.
Other Minor Themes
There are other minor themes that are scattered here and there in the play. One of them is the theme of religion. It is difficult to interpret this play as a religious one because of the views of the author that are contrary to religion. Critics argue this play because of Vladimir raising the issue of salvation (nijjat) and damnation. Another theme, yet an allegorical one is attributed to the German Occupation of France. The allegorical representation of the play is credible in the sense of Beckett's stay in the first occupied zone during World War Second when France was occupied by the Germans. The waiting of the tramps looks exactly like the waiting of the Frenchmen who lived underground to organize the resistance against the Germans.
Conclusion
Conclusively, the play incorporates various themes to add to the meaningful meaninglessness of the play. Waiting for Godot has no definite theme to work on with. Beckett himself asserts that it is upon the readers to find meaning in the play. He states,
If I could tell you in a sentence, I wouldn't have written the play.
Waiting for Godot has distinctive themes for distinctive people. Only the discovery of the readers grants a new life to a new theme.
Sources and Suggested Readings
- http://www.askliterature.com/drama/samuel-beckett/waiting-for-godot/themes-of-waiting-for-godot/
- http://www.literary-articles.com/2021/04/samuel-becketts-waiting-for-godot-major.html
- https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Waiting-for-Godot/themes/
