Insane or Sane?

Colton Evans

Aimee Fountain

November 14, 2018

Insane or Sane 

Vladimir and Estragon

Samuel Becketts play Waiting for Godot is filled with an infinite amount of ambiguity, but it is the ambiguity within this play that allows people of all backgrounds, religions, and races to enjoy. But with that being said there is a never ending quarrel between readers as to what this play represents. If it does in fact represent anything. Now say you approached this play with an absurdist point of view, Vladimir and Estragon are doing nothing out of the ordinary and everything is fine and dandy. They choose to stay put, not take any risks, chase any outlandish dreams or ideas, and instead play it safe and simply wait it out. Letting time pass until the grim reaper comes knocking. Fine. But to anyone who isn't invested in the absurdist point of view and instead chooses to believe that there is meaning in life then yes these two may be viewed as insane. Now for one to be considered insane they must be, “in a state of mind that prevents normal perception, behavior, or social interaction; seriously mentally ill.” To walk through life and waste it is insane for the people that believe life is a purposeful journey. You get one life. Just one. And whether or not you feel there is purpose in it I could care less. But rather than sitting and thinking, why not just create meaning. In the end Vladimir and Estragon choose to stay rather than go and make something of their life. This is where people may argue as to whether they find them insane or whether they see nothing wrong with it.

 In the definition above it stated that insanity would effect a persons perception, behavior, and social interaction. There is only one person in this play that these two characters truly wish to ever encounter and that is Godot himself. He is the all so elusive savior that will rescue them from this meaningless life. Two things Godot could stand for in this play and both depend on the point of view our reader takes on life. For the absurdist individual, Godot could represent nothing more than meaning itself. And as our characters continually wait and wait for him to arrive, especially in the end when he doesn't arrive and they still choose to wait, this anti-climactic ending is the revelation that comes to the absurdists when they themselves choose to believe that life itself is meaningless. Sitting in that audience or reading this on paperback they will have waited the entire play just hoping something will happen so they can leave content that our characters Vladimir and Estragon got what they wanted. But they don’t. Instead they are left wanting more, hungry for answers. But aren't we all hungry for answers? Every has asked the question as to why we are here. Its just that the people who have stopped asking the question decided to answer it for themselves and say there is no meaning. Hence the absurdist. Are they crazy? Yes. You get one life to live and instead of making the most of it you wallow in self pity and choose to just sit and ponder why you're here if there is no meaning to it? Which I am not saying all absurdists do this or are depressed heaps of rubbish, although the absurdist belief system is a bit of a downer I will say that. But if one was to interpret our characters as the absurdist types, then they definitely let this belief drive them to insanity because it took an incredible toll on their life. Preventing them from being able to do anything productive, or even live. Just a little bit.

Now the other views Godot as God and the play represents a persons life search in finding him. They cannot see him physically, but still they wait and remain faithful in their obedience to him. Their purpose being to serve him and not abandon their faith in him. Find the reason you were put here within yourself. I myself believe that insane is perfectly befitting of our two characters in this story. When one throws the word insane around people tend to picture a straightjacket snarling character dressed in pinstripes and chained to a wall. Yet sometimes the most insane of people, look nothing like that. Most of the time they look completely normal. But throughout Waiting for Godot the two characters remain in the same exact spot all while ideas of what they could possibly do with themselves dwindle as they continually shut them all down. Except for one idea, which was to kill themselves. In the Albert Camus essay where he discusses the existentialist absurdism point of view he speaks of the haunting question as to whether or not the only rational response to lifes absurdity be suicide. This scene, which on a side note I found incredibly amusing, brought to my attention the despair and loneliness our characters must be feeling. They aren't giving up faith on Godot, but the struggle they go through in keeping the faith is quite the internal battle. Some could view this play as a demonstration of the process in which one starts to lose their faith on God. Things haven't gone their way, they feel alone, and the one person they are putting all faith in seems to not be paying attention. And this internal battle that revolves around whether or not their faith is worth keeping effects them in their daily life. They get nowhere and wish to do nothing because they are drowning in this sea of uncertainty. Emotionally they are unstable, it has a huge effect on them psychologically, and their social lives take a hit as well. So they do nothing. 

With the amount of ambiguity surrounding this play, there is no wrong or right answer. But I personally believe that insane describes the two characters of this play well. Samuel Beckett once said, “why people have to complicate a thing so simple I cant make out.” He made the statement after the publics questioning began of the meaning behind his creating of the play. I pondered upon this, and then chose to see if he had any more statements to make about his play. He did. Talking one day to Peter Woodthorpe the man who played Estragon, he said, “ Its all symbiosis Peter. Its all symbiosis.” Mutual benefit is the spirit of this play. Like I said early on people from all over can enjoy this play and interpret it however they please. Beckett was able to make an incredibly powerful statement by saying the least. He said the most one could by saying the least. This play is a work of art because it shows just how incredibly complex the big question really is. And why people are still searching for the answer. He shows how this question, to this day, can drive people absolutely…..insane.