Waiting for Godot Wating for Salvation

Waiting for Salvation

About Waiting for Godot and Significance

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett is a play that captures the fate of human existence. People depend on chaos, hope and chance to provide their lives with purpose as well as meaning while they continue to wait for salvation.

Samuel Beckett’s play symbolizes the desire of all human beings to seek for answers regarding the purpose of human existence. Throughout their quest, people are confronted with obstacles and challenges. Some are able to be overcome them and some are not. But, hope, determination and the will to go on help to give some people the strength to carry on. Beckett shows the hopelessness that is present in the lives of Vladimir and Estragon in the way they struggle to pass time. The phrase “Nothing to be done”1 is a recurring saying that adds to this hopelessness. Vladimir and Estragon are also are tied to Godot, who symbolizes salvation. Their daily struggles contain no orderly sequence or memory of any past events that allows the chaos in their lives to encourage them to hope that Godot will come. “Time has stopped”2 shows just how long they have been waiting as well as how bored they are of it. To Vladimir and Estragon, their lives contain no purpose except to wait for Godot; therefore, their lives are meaningless. The worthlessness of their lives combined with the reality that life is based on chance, allows their lives to put in the hands of fate. These two characters have the hope that they will eventually be saved which lets them continue their journey in the search for answers even after many people would have lost faith.

Waiting for Godot has made an entire generation question life in general. The play has also raised issues revolving around wartime struggles faced by Becket himself, as well as millions elsewhere in the world. God and religion are also explored within the play through biblical allusions as well as the idea that Godot may in fact be God himself. Still, Becket may in fact have been making fun of religion. The fact that the allusions and metaphors are so convoluted and scant means that one is able to draw many conclusions from the work. This is an ongoing theme with this piece of literature. Many of the themes and ideas that are explored can be viewed in a variety of ways. The reader or playgoer will come away from the production with his or her own ideas about what this play is really about. Furthermore, for this reason Waiting for Godot is one of the greatest plays of all time. It allows the reader to make their own conclusions and take away with them their own profound ideas on life, death, religion, politics and whatever else the reader may see in the play.

Waiting for Godot has had a major impact on modern literature as well as ideas pertaining to life, war, religion, homosexuality, waiting, death, and human existence in general. Samuel Beckets work has influenced and changed our world for the better.

Literary Reflection

The literary circle discussion sessions went exceedingly well. Each group member did his or her part, as well as brought informative, interesting and exciting ideas into focus each and every session. Group dynamics worked out