Insanity: Waiting for Godot

If sanity consists of being mentally sound and rational, the conclusion is that there is no room for stability or reason in insanity. In the Oxford English Dictionary, insanity is defined as “the state of being seriously mentally ill” and as “extreme foolishness and irrationality.” The definition leaves out what exactly is considered a serious mental illness. For example, depression, anxiety, bipolar, and eating disorders — among many others — each hold their own worldview and stigma in society. As to the second definition, the answer to the question of at what point foolishness or irrationality is extreme will vary depending on personal opinion. Non-religious people may consider things like praying foolish, illogical, and useless. However, the same people may not frown upon prayer if the word were replaced with wishful thinking. Especially because it is so ingrained in culture and society, we do not often consider how the qualities of wishing conflict with the accepted terms of sanity. I argue that in Waiting for Godot, Vladimir and Estragon do display insanity, however, they do this as they use reason to discuss their irrational ideas. In this manner, their sanity is actually cloaked rather than lacked.

One of the more unsettling moments in Godot is when Vladimir and Estragon begin to discuss the possibility of suicide while they wait. On the surface, the calm manner in which the two characters talk through the idea appears insane, especially because the idea has no real reason behind it. Suicide is a taboo in several societies and some even punish those that attempt and fail. In other cultures, the context of the act could determine if it is an honor killing. Estragon, an often forgetful and foolish character, first makes the suggestion to pass the time while they wait. This is weak reason to commit suicide, but Vladimir answers to his crazy suggestion by offering it an alternative reason. “It’d give us an erection…. Where it falls mandrakes grow. That's why they shriek when you pull them up,” he claims. There is a reference to semen and new life even in death. When someone dies, someone else is born. He hints that their deaths would not be senseless because it would provide new life. This convinces Estragon that the idea is sound; the problem would be if the tree could actually hang them properly. However, Vladimir sets doubts on the plan by stating that he does not “trust” the bough, Estragon points out that their weight may work against them, and, finally, they decide that it would be better to make the decision after Godot meets them. Here we realize that Vladimir and Estragon are not actually entertaining the idea of suicide; they are reasoning themselves out of the idea by making it appear appealing at first and eventually pushing it to the side (though not quite completely out of sight).

The repetitive nature of the play reflects insanity on Vladimir and Estragon. Repetition eventually becomes annoying or frustrating because it comes to no conclusion — it is meaningless. By the end of Act I, the men are notified by a messenger boy that Godot would not be arriving. Estragon is menacing towards the messenger, but Vladimir eases him back, trying for patience. In Act II, the same happens, but the situation suddenly becomes blurred because Vladimir begins to question the reality of his environment. Vladimir easily predicts the boy’s message which tells us that it is now a routine for him. Routine is something people try to hold in their everyday lives to hold some sense of stability. It is considered a reasonable things to create, but if we step back and look at our routines, we start to realize that it is an endless cycle with no conclusion and, therefore, meaningless. This routine is increasingly frustrating to Vladimir, especially because he is convinced that the boy is the same as the day before despite his denial. The frustration with the delay of Godot’s arrival causes him to react violently as he asserts that the boy has seen him. Notably, Estragon is asleep during this encounter, but as soon as he wakes up, Vladimir decides that they should come back again the next day. “He’d punish us…. Everything is dead but the tree,” he says after Estragon suggests giving up on Godot. This quote suggests that Godot has somehow convinced them to fear not following routine. Also, the tree that was dead the day before is now alive; there is no logic in this sudden appearance of life which I feel implies a passage of time. The repetition of the messenger boy’s appearance and the new leaves on the tree distort time for the the men. This tells us that their perceived insanity is a provocation of their environment, maybe even Godot. But whether Godot is even real also becomes a question by the end of the play since the ending heavily hints that they will wait forever and continue in a cycle of meaningless living.