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22 Şubat 2015 Pazar

Waiting for Godot



    Here is one of my essays that I wrote in my first year at university. In this one I used other sources also in order to support my argument. At the end in the work cited section you will find details of them as organized according to MLA style.  Hope it helps.


 
Waiting for a Savior

    Samuel Beckett wrote the most famous play of absurd theatre Waiting for Godot. In this play, we can see the, psychological situation of theWestern people after World War II. Having seen many people killed, having lost many lovers and parents, forced people to think about the meaning of life, especially the existence of God. In twentieth century, people tasted deep sufferings of life because of that, then perceived, absurdity of existence in terms of religion. Also Beckett was influenced by this circumstance and he reflected his feelings on the play. “Beckett who witnessed both World Wars and experienced the second one and felt the misery of modern man with all his senses aired his own idea and philosophy in his works in a time when art was expected a mission more important and factual than ‘art for art's sake’” (Ghanbari 735). When the play was staged, everybody was surprised because it was an unprecedented story in order to regularity. In the play, there are two main characters, Estragon and Vladimir, who always wait for somebody or something. Many people who read or watched the play, thought that Godot is God but Beckett refused this opinion. Actually, the play has many signatures which belongs to God however, the author did not accept that, even though the play has many symbols referring to religion and the author focused on the act of waiting. In this point of view, Godot refers to God. In Christianity and other celestial religions, God promised people to send them a savior in order to relieve them from their suffering and invite them to the  waiting.

       First of all, the play has two main characters but the of them are just one human being actually. Vladimir symbolizes the mind by thinking, deciding and choosing. On the other hand,  Estragon symbolizes the body via moving and acting. The characters in the play are waiting and they do nothing except waiting. However, they want to do something like going away but do not. Whenever Estragon wants to go, Vladimir keeps him and reminds him that they are waiting for Godot. In this perspective,  people want to do something but they cannot in order to conform with the norms of the religion. Why cannot  people do anything? What keeps people’s mind? In Christianity and other celestial religions, people have to comply with many rules to live andt to behave by. All of these are imposed to people’s minds by birth.

      It looks like, people do not have to do what religions dictate them  to do. but still, people feel obliged, because if they do not conform with the norms, the society may refuse and isolate them. In this term people have two choices to be faithful and hopeful about saving or finish their lives. The play focuses this dilemma of people. ” In such a condition which has been emphasized by the lack of communication and individuality, man has two choices, either to bear the condition, live and be hopeful about the arrival of the savior and a better future, or to commit suicide and put an end to his miserable life” (Ghanbari 736) . In twentieth century, belief in God or to be faithful decreased in the West so Beckett tried to bring attention to that.  Waiting for Godot expresses the living condition of the Western people who have been out of contact with God and shows their effort to get rid of the situation” (Wang 200).

      The author of the play defended existentialism so we can see how affects existentialist theory the play is. “Like other existentialists, he comes to focus on the absurdity of human life and doubt the long-time believed religious matters” (Ghanbari 735)  .Whereas, all celestial religions tell in their scriptures promise savlation for people who has belief and be faithful during his life.

As far as religion is concerned, during their missions all the prophets and  apostles have emphasized the fact that a savior will arrive at the end of the time who will implement the government of justice over the globe. This news has been heard since human beings appeared on earth. Allah has indicated this promise in all the early scriptures and commanded humans throughout ages to expect the manifestation of the kingdom of Allah on earth.(Ghanbari 735) 

Waiting of the characters refers that, waiting faitful people for salvation by a savior, God or prophet. This is the one of the religious symbols of the play. Another symbolic thing is mentioned in the Bible

 There are descriptions about Godot similar in God in spirit. In the play, Godot can save,        or punish, or try or take care of man. The tramps in the play think that as long as Godot comes, they will be saved. If they do not waiting for Godot, they would be punished by him. The messenger boy said he and his brother keep sheep for Godot. His brother keeps the sheep and he raise the goats. (Wang 197)

     All in all, the play shows absurdity of waiting for a savior in order to live a meaningful life. Actually, the main characters of the play are hopeless people and the play full of emptiness, pointless and repetition. In this case, Beckett makes criticism people life who belives God and cannot make own choices. According to existentialist theory, people make own decisions and are responsible for all their acts so Estragon and Vladimir are not existentialist people because there is no act and no desicion they just wait, they have not got the courage to make a choice. Godot is their savior and they do not do anything except waiting. All the time is same for them because of that they cannot notice what time it is, how long they have been waiting. Of course they cannot remember that if their all days to be same. Godot promises them to come but he never comes also he sends a messenger boy to tell them he will come absolutely. In this case, Godot referes God because in all heavenly religions God promises that one day people will save all sufferings and be happy forever so many prophets had come to tell God’s messages to people and invite them to wait for salvation.

 

 




Works Cited


Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. London: Faber and Faber, 2006. Print.

Ghanbari, Mohammad Reza. “A Comparative Study of the Notion of Waiting for a Savior

           in Religion and in Waiting for Godot. World Applied Sciences Journal. 3.5 (2008):    733-37. International Digital Organization for Scientific Information. Web. 18 Apr, 2013.

Wang, Jing. “The Religious Meaning in Waiting for Godot.” English Language Teaching. 4.1 (2011): 197-200. Canadian Center of Science and Education. Web. 27 Apr, 2013.
 
 
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