Waiting For Godot Themes

Theme is an idea that pervades a novel, play or poem. “Waiting for Godot” contains
much complex and interesting themes. Samuel Becket wrote this play with a new style but his
thematic concept was not different from other writers. However, there is a kind of diversity in
themes of “Waiting for Godot”.

Lots of subjects are covered in this play. Its single theme “nothing to be done” gets good
attention. Samuel Becket shows a purposeless life. It does not have any story or plot, therefore,
success of “Waiting for Godot” is dependent only on its remarkable themes. Following are some
major themes that Samuel Beckett presents in “Waiting for Godot”:

 Nothing to be done.
 Meaninglessness of life
 Importance of hope
 Sufferings
 Absurdity
 Difference in human race
 Relationship
 Existentialism
 Waiting, Ignorance, Impotence, and Boredom
 Time
 Religion

“Nothing to be Done”

“Nothing to be done” is one of the most criticized themes of “Waiting for Godot”. Vivian
Mercier once said: It is a play in which nothing happens twice”.

We can’t deny that nothing happens in this play. Estragon and Vladimir enter on stage
talk, perform useless actions and exit. Second act is a copy of first act with minute difference of
dialogues. In whole play one asks a question to the other “what to do?” Other replies “nothing
to be done”. It also starts with the same dialogue. Play goes on depicting this theme and finally
ends with nothingness.

Symbolically, this theme has much importance. It defines the journey of life; a journey
from nothingness to nothingness. We come in the world but what is our purpose here? What is
our identity? Samuel Becket does not answer these questions instead he asks from the
audience. He himself does not know their answers. Every person in this world is like Estragon
and Vladimir, who is waiting for something but most of the time he cannot get what he wants
and life ends just like the play ends. Both acts of the play end with despair. Nothing happens in
them. “Nothing to be done” illustrates a meaningless life.

Meaninglessness of Life

How is life meaningless? Newton came in the world and presented laws of motion. Was
his life meaningless? Most of us would probably answer negatively. His laws are helpful for the
whole world then how his life was meaningless? Well, Newton’s laws are meaningless for him
now. Not for us but for him. He died and took nothing with him. His laws are no more helpful
for him. In this way, life is meaningless for him. As mentioned earlier, life is a journey from
nothingness to nothingness. It is much difficult to understand meaninglessness. Let’s try to
understand situation of Estragon and Vladimir with an example.

A person has been waiting for train for five minutes on railway station. After five
minutes train arrives and he leaves. His five minutes were meaningless because in that time “he
had nothing to be done”.

It should be remembered that there is a difference between “nothing done” and

“nothing to be done”. “Nothing done” strengthens theory of existentialism.

Importance of hope

Without hope, there is nothing in life. Optimism comes to an end without it. Thus, hope
is necessary if one wants to live. This play also depicts this important theme. It forces us to
think twice on the importance of hope. Estragon and Vladimir has nothing to be done yet they
are hopeful. It is only hope due to which they are alive and waiting for Godot. “Godot” may be a
help or maybe God but one thing is clear that both of them are hopeful about their future. They
think that Godot will come and change their lives. The play ends with nothingness but “wait and
hope” never ends. Estragon and Vladimir will come again tomorrow at the same place and will
wait for Godot until his arrival. In this way, hope is one of the major themes of “Waiting for
Godot”. .
Sufferings of Life

Suffering also falls in category of major themes of “Waiting for Godot”. We witness
sufferings of Vladimir and Estragon in this play. They are living a miserable life. Estragon has
been beaten by strangers every night but he is helpless. God has created this world and has
forgotten it after its creation. It seems that Samuel Becket has given this message to the
audience. Apart from Estragon and Vladimir, Lucky is also suffering. His life is more miserable
than them. Sufferings of slavery class are evident in this play. We can say that Estragon and
Vladimir are responsible for their miserable condition but Lucky is a slave and he cannot help
himself. He can just wait for good times i.e. only death. Perhaps, he would find something good
in afterlife. But in this life, he can’t get peace. Vladimir’s speech in this context is helpful. He
says: “Was I sleeping while the others suffered? Am I sleeping now? Tomorrow, when I wake,
or think I do, what shall I say of today?….can’t go on. What have I said?”

Themes of Absurdity and Ridiculousness

Becket shows the world a way of escaping from sufferings of life. Life can be spent like
Estragon and Vladimir: doing nothing, having irrational behavior, passing the ball and act
ridiculously. Perhaps, absurdity is the only way to get through life. This is also a method to
avoid criticism as it has been said that the best way to avoid criticism is to do nothing.
Personally, I think that it is the most difficult way to get through life. While doing nothing and
repeating silly actions, one can pass seconds but not whole life. It seems that Becket has
preferred absurdity over existentialism. Anyhow, he has shown a way to go through life i.e.
absurdity.

Difference in Human Races

Difference in human races is also evident in this play. This theme has importance of its
own. Lucky is a symbol of slavery class, whereas Pozzo refers feudalism. These characters
present two types of human races. One is miserable, whereas second is happy. Samuel Becket
has shown the inferiority of lower class and superiority of upper class.

Theme of Relationship

It is another important theme of “Waiting for Godot”. Samuel Becket portrays different
types of human relationships. There are four kinds of individuals in the play. Every character is a
separate entity. Individually, they refer something but in a relationship they indicate something
else. Vladimir’s problems are mental; Estragon’s physical. Pozzo and Lucky are presented to
show the two races of men. But when these individuals are put into relations, they perform an
important role. Nevertheless, three types of relationships are there in the play:

 Relationship between Estragon and Vladimir

 Association of Pozzo and Lucky
 Relationship of Estragon and Vladimir with Godot.

“Existentialism”

It is a wider topic and needs explanation. “Existentialism” is the most important theme
of “Waiting for Godot”. In order to understand this theme we must have knowledge about
theory of Existentialism.

However, in simple words it means that every person is responsible for his actions and
no second person is pulling his strings or controlling his fate. In other words (from oxford),
existentialism emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free.

Estragon, Vladimir, Pozzo and Lucky: are they all free? Are they himself responsible for
their actions. Can’t say “Yes” nor can say “No”. Lucky is not free. A person who is slave from
childhood can’t do anything to change his life. People beat Estragon every night and he is
helpless.

Samuel Becket has not answered the above said questions. We see every character has
freewill yet some limitations are imposed on them. In case of Lucky, someone is pulling his
strings whereas in case of Pozzo, Estragon and Vladimir they are free.

Waiting, Ignorance, Impotence, and Boredom

A more convincing interpretation of the play is that it presents the human experience of
futile waiting, the act of waiting as an essential, characteristic aspect of the human condition.
Most often people wait for something which does not materialise just as Godot does not
materialise. A man may vainly wait for a job, or promotion, or the return of a long-lost child or
friend, or a love-letter, or a reunion with a divorced wife, and so on. Vladimir and Estragon by
their waiting indefinitely and without any tangible result thus symbolise the millions of human
beings who wait for something or other without attaining it. In this sense to the play has a
general validity. But the ordeal of waiting is not the only subject of the play. The two tramps do
not know who or what Godot is; nor are they sure that they are waiting at the right place or on
the right day, or what could happen if they stopped waiting. In other words, the two tramps are
lacking in the essential knowledge; they are ignorant. Being ignorant they cannot act and so
they are impotent also. Thus the tramps produce in us a sense of baffled helplessness which we
experience when forced to remain in a situation which we do not understand and over which
we have no control. All that they do is to seek ways to pass the time in the situation in which
they find themselves. They tell stories, sing songs, play verbal games, and pretend to be Pozzo
and Lucky, do physical exercises. But all these activities are mere stop-gaps serving only to pass
the time. Here then we have the very essence of boredom. Thus the play represents not just
waiting but also ignorance, impotence, and boredom. Vladimir and Estragon have travelled far
towards total nihilism, though they have not fully achieved it. They are in a place and in a
mental state in which nothing happens and time stands still. If Godot comes, a new factor may
be introduced into their existence, whereas if they leave they will certainly miss him. Their
waiting therefore contains an element of vague hope.

Time

Perhaps the most important thing about time in the play is that it is uncertain. All of the
characters (and thus the audience, as well) are unsure of exactly when the play is taking place.
The time period of the play is unclear, as is the relative chronology of the play's
events. Vladimir is rather sure that act two is one day after act one, but all the other characters
disagree. Moreover, everyone except for Vladimir seems to have forgotten the events of act
one by the time act two begins. In act two, Vladimir and Estragon even disagree over what time
of day it is.

As Pozzo and Estragon forget their immediate past, they end up repeating much of act
one in act two. Vladimir and Estragon wait in the same place, where the same two people
(Lucky and Pozzo) encounter them, and where a boy delivers the same message from Godot.
Vladimir himself wonders to what degree the events of act two are an exact repetition of those
in act one, as he asks whether Lucky and Pozzo are the same characters from the previous day,
and whether it is the same young boy, or a different one. The boy claims to be a different boy
from that of act one, and Pozzo does not remember Vladimir or Estragon, but given all of the
forgetfulness in the play, Vladimir's questions remain unanswered.

With this strangely repetitive temporal structure, the characters of Waiting for
Godot are trapped within an infinite present time. "Time has stopped," says Vladimir in act one.
Indeed, the ending of the play seems somewhat arbitrary. It could have continued on for
however many acts, endlessly repeating, as Vladimir and Estragon endlessly await the arrival of
the mysterious Mr. Godot. Moreover, it is not clear that the beginning of the play was really the
beginning of this story. How many days did Estragon and Vladimir come to the same part of the
road and have essentially the same conversation before the day of act one?

Religion

Some critics have found a religious meaning in the play and it is not difficult to see why.
Vladimir raises, and seriously too, the issue of human salvation early in the play. He feels
worried at the thought that one of the two thieves was damned. Estragon has all his life
compared himself to Christ and says rather enviously that “they crucified (him) quickly.” The
tramps wait for Godot who may represent God, and their persistence in waiting for Godot
shows their faith in God. The mutual attachment of the two tramps Vladimir and Estragon and
Vladimir’s protective attitude towards his friend have been interpreted as Christian virtues.
Pozzo is being mistaken for Godot to begin with may also be linked with this religious
interpretation. However, it is difficult to read in the play a consistent and elaborate religious
allegory.

In a nutshell, the “Waiting for Godot” has many remarkable themes. Samuel Becket has
closely observed life, therefore, every theme is related to life and reality. Themes of “Waiting
for Godot” directly strike minds of audience and give this play a good success. It seems that
Samuel Becket, very minutely and after experiments, has rendered various themes in “Waiting
for Godot”. Hence, there is no denying the fact that themes give this play a striking success.

Compiled By Irfan Khan