Waiting for An Answer

“Insanity,” in almost every dictionary, is defined in two ways.  The first is “the condition of being seriously mentally ill” and the second is “ ​an action that is stupid and likely to have extremely bad results.” While the second definition is rather intriguing and could be lent to a reading of either A Streetcar Named Desire or Waiting for Godot, overall the first definition is wiser to discuss in terms of analyzing mental health rather than impetuous acts. Furthering the definition, a part of insanity consists of ignorance of one’s own insanity. Ignorance that furthers their own insanity, and this does not have to simply be believing  their own sanity but it is also extends to some that believe in their own warped ideologies. In culture, people tend to view insane people one way or another, either being crazy in a mental institution or being a serial killer. These two cultural ideas are most commonly seen in shows like American Horror Story season 2 as well as documentaries about people like John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer. These prepaturate others fearing the insane, but there are far more nuanced and harmless insane people who may be “seriously mentally ill.” This could be the case for Vladimir and Estragon in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, though there seem to be greater themes at work.

Waiting for Godot, as a play, tight ropes on the line of insanity throughout the show. At face value, it is a story about nothing, twice. The play seems to meander through its runtime and reach no destination. The characters both might very well be insane. Some conversations between Vladimir and Estragon simply stop midthought. In response to Estragon’s “Give me a carrot.” Vladimir reaches into his pocket and brings out a turnip and says, “ I could have sworn it was a carrot” (Beckett 14). This intandem with the other odd occurrences throughout can easily show that Vladimir and Estragon are insane. Vladimir mistook a turnip for a carrot, two objects that could not be more different. A carrot is long and tall, while a turnip is small and round. This also with the fact that they are waiting forever for someone that will not come, there’s no way they cannot be insane, if not a little crazy. While all of this points to their insanity, Vladimir and Estragon are not insane and are not on a country road, but actually somewhere else.

The play has a plethora of biblical allusions throughout and this helps to enforce the idea that the place that Vladimir and Estragon are waiting is not simply in a country road, but they are waiting in purgatory. The place in between heaven and hell. The biblical allusions a vast and plentiful discussing the Holy Land and the Savior as well as death and hell.

“VLADIMIR:Imbecile! From death.

ESTRAGON:I thought you said hell.

VLADIMIR:From death, from death” (Beckett 6).

This is early on in the first act, and it is telling for the rest of the play as well. While they discuss Jesus or “the Savior” they begin to discuss Jesus not saving his followers from “hell” but then Vladimir backtracks and discusses death instead. This can be seen as an indication that the two are dead.

Something that plays a vital  part in Waiting for Godot is memory. Another indication is in act II when they are in the same place, but little things changes, Pozzo does not recognize either of them and it seems that everyone has a little amnesia. Estragon says, “I remember that. But when was it?” This is for something that happened the day before, and it is not just Estragon, it is also Pozzo and Lucky as well. Even the Boy does not remember speaking with the two. All of this could come off as insanity, but when it is everyone it seems that the people are not insane, but perhaps a product of where they are. A place that continually is the same day after day and similar occurrences happen daily, but it is slightly different everyday. All one can do in this place is wait.

Although the two lead characters of Waiting for Godot could be perceived as insane, they actually embody two dead people waiting for judgement. The play is long and seems like it does not go anywhere. The title of the play never comes to fruition. The character of Godot is mentioned throughout, but never actually is a physically in the show. What does Godot represent? Perhaps God or some other being that will eventually do the judgment of Vladimir and Estragon. It becomes clear that the country road is a non-existent place, causing the two leads to try and leave. Although they both agree to leave at the end of each act, something holds them back from actually being able to. Although it is our society's abrupt judgement to assume and categorize these characters as insane, there is a deeper meaning behind their unusual and insane actions.

Word Count: 838