P-107 Assignment, Symbolism in the play "Waiting For Godot"

P-107 Assignment

Symbolism in the play  Waiting For Godot.

Name-Kishan Jadav

Paper-7 :The Twentieth Century Literature: From World [AB1] War II to the Endo f the Century

Roll no-10

Enrollment no-3069206420200008

Email id- jadavkishan55555@gmail.com

Batch-2020-22 (MA Sem-2)

Submitted to- S. B. Gardi Department of English,

                Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

Introduction :

Samuel Beckett is a revolutionary playwright. He is an iconoclast and an image breaker. He has shattered conventions and pioneered a new kind of drama. His drama is above categories of tragedy and comedy. It is called absurd drama. His plays show the situation in which we are. They expose us in our existential predicament. Waiting for Godot is an absurd drama. In fact, absurd drama presents human life and human situation as absurd. The waiting also becomes meaningless because no Godot arrives.Inside this paly are many symbols that are represented differently.

Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is full of symbolism including the names of characters like Viladimir and Estragon, Lucky and Pozzo and even the hidden character; Godot. Symbolism, if simply defined, is the use of some words, things or events without their apparent meaning rather referring something else.

I have highlighted some symbols throughout the play and will be explored deeply in-short: Tree, Lucky’s Baggage, Pozzo’s Rope, Night Fall, Hat, Names, The Boot, The Bone.

The Tree :

The tree symbol appears in many literatures, such as the tree in Paradise Lost is a symbol of knowledge.  The tree in this Flying Jatt movie is a symbol of religion. The Trees of Quran like as The Tree of Ridhwan, The Tree of Mary,  The Tree of Jonah.Similarly, the tree in Waiting for Godot is also a different symbol. A dry the  tree is shown in Waiting for Godot.  In which the tree does not have a single leaf.  The tree symbolizes the whole world.  There are trees everywhere.  Which of these trees?  And which tree to wait for depends on the man.There’s more. Vladimir reports that he was told to wait for Godot by the tree. This should be reassuring – it means the men are in the right place. Right? Wrong. As Estragon points out, they’re not sure if this is the right tree. And, come to think of it, they can’t even be sure if this is a tree or not. It kind of looks like a shrub.However, the apparent growth of leaves on tree in the start of Act 2 still do nothing for the meaning of life. It only adds to the uncertainty about the place and passage of time. Despite Viladimir’s description of tree in the play as; “covered with leaves,” the stage direction specifies only “four or five” leaves.

Some point out that the cross on which Christ was crucified is sometimes called a tree.  Beckett, however, said he was puzzled by people trying to take away "a broader, loftier meaning" from the play, making it unlikely that he intended any broader religious symbolism.

Characters Hats :

The hat introduces the person.  The position of a person is realized by the hat. In ancient times, looking at the crown of a king, the crown of a queen, the crown of a general, the crown of an army, etc. we realize what kind of position that person has.  Even today, certain types of hats are worn by certain types of people.  In which special kind of hats are found in the matter of religion and from that we can determine its religion.Just like the hats of the Muslims, the turbans of the Punjabis. Different types of hats are less common in different countries.The turban is considered to be the dignity of the people. Therefore, the importance of the hat is very important in human life. Similarly, the symbol of the hat also appears in Waiting for Godot. Estragon and Viladimir also exchange their hats with Lucky’s hat back and forth. This scene is the representation of instability of individual identities and exchanging represents the exchange of identities.

The Boot :

We can see the boot as a symbol of struggle. Boot symbolizes daily life struggling.  Everyone wears boots whenever they work.  Those boots have some wear and tear that can be judged by how much he has struggled in his life.  The job of the boot is to protect the foot. Similarly, the symbol of boot has been taken in Waiting for Godot.Estragon is the most affected by boots. He takes off and putting again them on. This shows daily struggles in life which cannot be changed. This is always put on and take off. When boot is of estrogan look inside and sees nothing, when puts its boot sees reality, the world and how nothing make any sense. Estrogan: continuously look inside as a way of passing time. This shows absurdity in human, because no matter how many times we take to try to figure things out, we miss picture by wasting time on pointless mater.

The Rope :

The rope can be seen as a binder.  Just as it can bind people, it can bind things.  One of the meanings is to bind means to hold, to subdue oneself.  Anyone can be enslaved by a rope. Dobby is also portrayed as a slave in the Harry Potter movie. Harry adopts him as a slave through a garment.  And another has freed from slavery. Inside the Ramayana, when Hanumanji went to Ashoka Vatika, he was tied with a rope by Ravana's soldiers, so it can be said that he is now in Ravana's bondage. This symbol also appears in Waiting for Godot, which depicts pozzo as the owner and his servant.Lucky is a slave for his master Pozzo. Lcuky is tied with rope, holding both master and slave together. This is the symbol of distance between the God and his slave. In Act 1, Pozzo dominates Lucky with a rope half the length of the stage: "Pozzo drives Lucky by means of a rope passed around his neck," and Lucky is often the recipient of Pozzo's whip. Yet Lucky accepts this balance of power without question, as if he cannot envision any other state for himself. By Act 2, however, the rope is shortened, and the balance of power in Pozzo and Lucky's relationship is less clear. Pozzo, now blind, depends on Lucky for direction, and Lucky, still slavish, depends psychologically on Pozzo. The rope here becomes a symbol of submission to an illogical belief.

The Bag :

The bearer of the bag is always the servant.  In Amitabh Bachchan's movie Coolie, we see these things.  Amitabh carries all the bags in this movie like a servant.  But going forward he becomes a rich man.  But in Waiting for Godot the servant who picks up the bag is portrayed in a different way. Lucky carries bag he never stop to trying to carry . Pozzo doesn't force lucky this bag but lucky prove himself to his master . He feels as if he carries it around to show his determination and devotion to making pozzo happy . The relationship between Pozzo and Lucky is shown as capital and labor, master and slave, exploiter and exploited, between old testament God and new testament Christ.

Names :

There are many meanings hidden inside the names. In this play also there are many meanings in the names like. The most important example of hidden meanings in the play is Godot, which is similar to God. Godot symbolizes salvation that religion promises but never comes true. Estragon means “tarragon” in French, while Pozzo is Italian for water. Lucky’s name suggests the unluckiness of the sufferings. However, nihilist viewpoint is that, these names hold no meaning at all.

Night Fall and the Rising Moon :

We can represent the night in different ways.  We have represented the night as a different symbol.  The night is a symbol of death.  The night is a symbol of relaxation. Waiting for Godot also represents knightfall differently. While Estragon and Viladimir are waiting for Godot, they also wait for the nightfall. This nightfall shows that darkness is like a death and falling of night is like to reprieve from daily suffering as death is death to reprieve from life. And if the moon is weary just from watching, imagine what that says about the predicament of the men themselves.

The Bone :

The bone is depicted as a symbol of poverty.  Because poor people do not get enough to eat.  Due to which only bones are visible on his body and they beg for their survival. This shows the relationship between Feudalism or Capitalism who has dominated over the poor.

Duality :

Waiting for Godot is chock-full of many pairs . There’s Vladimir and Estragon, the two thieves, the Boy and his brother, Pozzo and Lucky, Cain and Abel, and of course the two acts of the play itself. With these pairs comes the repeated notion of arbitrary, 50/50 chances. One thief is saved and other damned, but for no clear reason. If Vladimir and Estragon try to hang themselves, the bough may or may not break. One man may die, one man may live. Godot may or may not come to save them. In the Bible, Cain’s sacrifice was rejected and Abel’s accepted for no discernible reason. It’s minor, but check out Estragon’s line in Act I: "My left lung is very weak. But my right lung is sound as a bell!" More pairs, more arbitrary damnation. Even the tone of Waiting for Godot is filled with duality: two person arguments, back-and-forth questions, disagreement-agreement, questions and answers.

WHO IS Godot ?

 Beckett is believed to have said that the name Godot comes from the French " godillot " meaning a military boot . Beckett fought in the war and so spending long periods of time waiting for messages to arrive would have been commonplace for him . The more common interpretation that it might mean " God " is almost certainly wrong . Beckett apparently stated that if he had meant " God , " he would have written " God " . Godot : it is relatively common name in French.

The Carrot :

This carrot is a good comic relief in which both Vladimire and Estrogan can't agree on the vegetable  the carrot is one type of lollypop.  No matter what we called it , we will referring to the same thing : Vladimir • Nothing you can do about it . Estrogan no use wriggling Vladimir the essential does not change . • At first they were bickering over the way carrot tasted . It doesn't really matter who is right and who is wrong about the carrot .

Smell :

Estragon is repeatedly repelled by smells in Waiting for Godot . Vladimir stínks of garlic , Lucky smells like who knows what , and Pozzo reeks of a fart in Act II . It seems every time Estragon tries to get close to a person , he is repelled by their odor . It looks to us like smells represent one of the barriers to interpersonal relationships . Estragon isn't just repelled by odors - he's repelled by the visceral humanity of those around him . There's something gritty and base about the odor of a human body , and for Estragon it's too much to handle .

Conclusion:

Thus different symbols have been used in Waiting for Godot Play.  Examining it closely, we find in the whole play something hidden in the philosophical aspects of life. Even thou Waiting for Godot is a must-read play for everyone. It has so many interpretations, written in 1953, has a remarkable piece for Theater of Absurd and tragicomedy.

Work Cited :

Course Hero. "Waiting for Godot Study Guide." Course Hero. 27 Oct. 2016. Web. 13 June 2021. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Waiting-for-Godot/>.

"Analyse the symbolism of Beckett's Waiting for Godot." eNotes Editorial, 6 June 2010, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/analyse-symbolism-becketts-waiting-godot-176537. Accessed 14 June 2021.

Wang, J. (2011). The religious meaning in waiting for Godot. Shandong University of Finance.Whyislam (2019). Hope and trust in God: Reflection on Zakariah and Mary. Islam, Spiritual Journeys.

Thans.