What is the meaning of Godot in Becket’s “Waiting for Godot”?

In “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett, it tells a story of two down on their luck friends who encounter an odd cast of characters in their journey to meet an unknown man name Godot. Heavy in symbolism, this story keeps the reader questioning who this mysterious Godot is by placing their own personal ideas into the ambiguously intuitive events that occur throughout the play. In my own opinion, I believe that Godot is a representation of the meaning of life, and the main character is trapped having to decide which path to take to uncover the answer to this timeless question.

I will begin this explanation with my earlier statement of main character, instead of characters. I believe that both Vladimir and Estragon are two personas of one character, split to further examine the human workings and mindset when dealing with said situation. This is consistently evident throughout the play within their conversations; they are in constant argument and quarrel like as if two sides of a committee. Acting to further solidify this theory there is a steady repetition between what is said between them showing examples that they are one in the same. The references of their clothing also illustrates how they both existent in one body. Estragon’s boots are a symbol of walking in which meaning the body, strongly evident when informing Pozzo that his name is “Adam” alluding to the first man on earth. While Vladimir’s eventful affinity towards hats would likewise be a representation of the mind, and when added with the body it shows how together they create one person. A further example of this is when in response to Pozzo’s inquiry to if they would rather see lucky dance or think “Estragon: I’d rather he dance… Vladimir: I’d like well to hear him think” (41, Beckett), proving their differences through choice; however similar in dialogue it further evidences that they are in fact one entity.

Likewise Vladimir and Estragon being the mind and body, Pozzo and Lucky represent the two sides of the main characters conscience. Where as Pozzo is seemingly wealthy, he is also cruel to his servant and duplicitous with the main character, Lucky in contrast is the symbol good, loyal and quiet as controlled by the immoral influences of Pozzo. During the second act this resemblance is further explained on another level whereas Pozzo the corrupt keeper has gone blind, while Lucky the righteous slave has been cursed dumb. This acts as an additional connection between their symbols. Pozzo the evil master has gone blind to show a second lesson that if the main character took the way of control and deceit, he would then also be turned blind to the suffering and despair, overlooked to retain his position reaching the perfect life through self indulgence. Meanwhile Lucky, the ever faithful servant of Pozzo, is now brought to the audience as being dumb. This is to say that people whom are certainly fair and goodhearted operate purposefully ignorant and silent to all the misdeeds being done to them by people such as Pozzo, just to keep the world running effectively and avoid any confrontations. Both contrasting styles of life adhere to different people, making it an effective contrast for the main character to be confronted with when in the situation of understanding the answer to the meaning of life.

The final character to examine is the boy who appears briefly, yet importantly at the end of both acts. He is a servant of Godot and once in each act he meets the main character at its end to tell them they must wait yet another day. Now the meaning of Godot can easily be inferred to be that of God, but in actually I believe that the boy is the depiction of God in this play. In the first act he tells the main character that he tends to the goats, which could be seen as devils which have been since seen as goat like humans in many myths. When he says that Godot beats his brother, it could show how his brother is the devil, and is beaten for his is wicked. Likewise in the second act the boy informs the main character that his brother is also sick, this could be a further allusion to his brother being the devil, and in turn he is sick with madness. His only information to the main character is that he must wait another day to meet Godot, in saying that you must wait for your own conception of the meaning of life and once it is found the boy will no longer appear to guide. The end of the first act when Vladimir inquires “You don’t know if your unhappy or not” he replies “No sir” (56, Beckett) showing how being God he does not want to interfere with human’s free will to decide which path he must choose in life.

Now in finding the meaning of life, we are introduced to the two sides of the main character who begins the story discussing the four stories which are told in the bible about the crucifixion of Jesus. This shows that both the body and mind are conflicted in its decision helping the reader understand the complexity of human’s decision making, especially in matters as important as covered in this play. We are introduced to Pozzo and Lucky, the conscience partners in which upon initial meeting Pozzo begins by demonstrating how he will favor his servant over the main character in the form of refuse chicken bones. This is an early example of Pozzo trying to manipulate the main characters route of living displaying how if he were powerful he would have the ability to have desired things. Estragon being the body, thus reactionary form of understanding, taking quickly to bones to exhibit his swaying to Pozzo’s thought process. However soon following after hearing Lucky’s speech of understanding Vladimir, the mind, takes Lucky’s hat showing professing his conception of the good nature. As an additional theme that runs within the story, the mind is more shown to be more reliable for making judgments then the initial emotional body response. Then once the trails are through and Pozzo and Lucky exit, the boy arrives to tell the main character that he must wait another day for Godot, the night falls, and the act comes to a close.

The second act begins with the mind awakening to meet its body to begin their combined day as the main character. The body questions the mind to why it keeps returning since the mind is happier in dreams alone where the problems of reality do not exist. This is when the mind (Vladimir) finds Lucky’s mindset (hat) as explained in the prior paragraph and tries to convince the body (Estragon) to accept it. After much confusion with switching mindsets the mind remains with Lucky’s good approach and likewise the body with its own. Thus reenters the daily influences of Pozzo and Lucky. This time Pozzo’s corruption comes in the ruse of asking for help. His blindness keeps him from seeing that in trying to bring himself up in the world he pulls everyone down with him. Soon after showing the body’s influence of immorality Estragon emulates Pozzo’s treatment of Lucky, the symbol of fairness and loyalty, by kicking him until he hurts his foot, the injury being the mind finally intervening with the body’s poor decisions. Finishing the play with yet another appearance form the boy, who also says he knows nothing of the prior days events. After being told of having to wait yet again the main character lunges at him yearning for a solution but the boy escapes. Once again found waiting for Godot, the answer to the question, the main character once again entertains the idea of suicide as being an easy escape from the wait. The mind once again solves the dispute by promising the body that tomorrow will be their last day; and they once again depart to being their quest again the following day.

During the second act the reason that only Vladimir remembers, and Estragon remembers Vladimir but not any of the other events is the second act being a new day literally is a new different day. The mind remembers all while the body experiences only new things, equally the tests and trails we encounter day to day always chance as Pozzo and Lucky did. The boy purposefully chooses not to acknowledge the prior day’s events as a way to keep his identity as an obscure guide secret. All these things combined point to the fact that the elusive Godot is the meaning of life itself. The play depicts the daily challenges and temptations we all face in the journey to expose our own personal meaning for living. It sends a good message that there is no way to understand the correct way to live unless we experience it and make the decisions for ourselves.

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