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Waiting for Godot

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Austin Druckemiller
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Waiting For Godot

Waiting for Godot has been my main thought for about two hours now. While considering the work, its author, and the comments I have found about the play, I have come up with three hypotheses as to the meaning and theme. As I will explain my three hypotheses in my next few paragraphs, I would like to put forth my most accepted theory, and the answer that Samuel Beckett, the author of the play, put forth when questioned about the meaning of his strange little piece. I think many people put this theory forth as the true meaning of Waiting, and there are many aspects of it by which they can make their point. The most obvious is the title character, Godot, because the root word of the name is God. The many references to Christianity also create a close connection between the storyline and many important stories from the Bible. From the very beginning Vladimir and Estragon think about their salvation, consider death, and draw a parallel between themselves and the two thieves that were crucified along with Jesus, according to the Gospels.

The general attitude expressed throughout the play is the hopelessness, or maybe the meaningless-ness of life. A good example of the hopelessness I am talking about is on page 3 when Vladimir is searching through his hat and says “Sometimes I feel it coming all the same. Then I go all queer. How Shall I say? Relieved and at the same time… appalled. AP-PALLED. Funny. Nothing to be done. Well?” and following Vladimir saying this Estragon responds with “Nothing.” Society’s purpose is simply to wait out its existence until the Second Coming. Everything we do, say, feel, and experience, is just passing the time until our lives come to an end. Let us assume that Godot does symbolize God. He is someone who will come to make a great change in the Vladimir and Estragon’s

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