Cultural Perspective Of Insanity: Vladimir and Estragon

Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” (1954) is crafted from post-world war European society. Both world wars verify the philosophical insurgence of absurdism and existentialism in this play, which supports how Beckett subjects his main characters to questionable sanity Oxford English Dictionary defines insanity as “madness” or “extreme foolishness or irrationality”.  Totalitarian governments, colonization, economic reparations, and genocidal war are illogical actions, yet embedded by Western Europe, the United States of America, Japan and the Soviet Union in the first half of the 20^th century. This play confronts the insanity of this cultural period with the characters of Vladimir and Estragon.

            Vladimir’s storytelling of the thieves serves as general distrust in Christianity as well as a model of a specific societal flaw. This Bible story has several discrepancies between the four Evangelists who are said to have witnessed the fate of the two thieves. Two don’t mention the thieves at all, one says they were both damned and the fourth said one was saved (Beckett; 6-7). Estragon reflects “People are bloody ignorant apes.”, confirming he and Vladimir agree upon the troubling fact that everybody only believes on version, which is the only version taught (Beckett; 7). Skepticism increased due to the devastation of the war, leading to alternative philosophies not dependent on a deity’s existence, thus existentialism and absurdism emerged. Ashkan and Azadeh Shobeiri, authors of “Samuel Beckett’s Absurdism: Pessimism or Optimism?” assert many critics hold absurdist interpretations of this play because Vladimir and Estragon are relentlessly attempting to divulge meaning to their lives. Vladimir and Estragon are considered insane for Biblical doubt by Christian view. This initial incident is one of many, but it mirrors the societal break from a Christian world view held in much of Western Europe, and perhaps many other involved countries, during the world wars. Vladimir’s and Estragon’s distrust mirrors the attitudes of Beckett’s society.

            Is it more insane for Vladimir and Estragon to make life meaningful in a meaningless world or to live as though life is not meaningful? The meaning of their lives succumbs to the pressures of time, pleasure, and repentance. Following Lucky and Pozzo’s departure, Vladimir comments that the encounter passed the time and Estragon objects it would have passed regardless, which Vladimir responds “Yes, but not so rapidly.” (Beckett; 51). This line is representative of a fear of running out of time. His response makes meaning out of Estragon’s proposal, setting up polar ideologies that are problematic in determining a correct one. To Vladimir and Estragon, there is value in passing time as quickly as possible while they wait for Godot. Furthermore, the wait for Godot is peculiar in that Vladimir, Estragon, and the audience do not know what Godot’s arrival will do for the characters. This problem transposes to the cultural relevance of the play as the wait for a god to fix human war and oppression. Vladimir and Estragon also depict how such a wait affects the drive of pleasure and repentance.

            Vladimir and Estragon indulge in pleasure when possible. They want to hang themselves from the tree for an erection. Estragon becomes hungry, and exercises preference of carrots over turnips and radishes. He acquires Pozzo’s leftover chicken bones, sleeps in a ditch, and takes off his tight boots at his own choosing. Vladimir embraces Estragon’s company. They are only engrossed by their pleasures for a page or two at most, before asking what to do next. Temperance of pleasure therefore becomes a significant theme in Beckett’s play. The value of each character’s pleasures changes between philosophical and societal perspectives, therefore further complicating their sanity in relation to making life meaningful.

            Vladimir and Estragon concern repentance early in the play. Estragon asks if “our being born” is the sin that triggers Vladimir’s proposition (Beckett; 4). Beckett refers to original sin in a culturally obvious way. His characters ask themselves the same question millions of people have asked throughout Christian history. Would repentance make these characters sane? Vladimir laughs then suddenly stops, and Estragon responds, “dreadful privation” (Beckett; 4). Beckett leaves the subject of the dreadful privation ambiguous to the belief of original sin and/or if there is sanity for its repentance; and/or Vladimir and Estragon expect to be affected by this belief.

            There are several more moments in the play that illustrate the cultural effects of the world wars. For example, the symbolic nature of the other characters provides additional perspectives that parallel the widespread despair and confusion of global war atrocities. Vladimir and Estragon’s sanity could then be further explored by comparison.