Waiting for Godot Response
Waiting for Godot is unlike any other play that I have ever seen or read. While reading it, I was in a constant state of confusion. This is because, while there is an endless amount of dialog, there is very little actual conversation. The dialog consists of provocations of despair, recounts of recent activities, which Estragon cannot remember, and nonsense. It was imperative that I knew going into this reading, that it was an absurdist play and that I should not expect the conventional aspects of a story. If I had not known, I would have become quickly frustrated with the lack of a linear plot, character development, or comprehensive dialog. Given that I was not expecting these things, I was able to find the confusion that occurred comical and not frustrating.
The premise of the play is that two men are, have been, and will continue to wait for a man named Godot. However, it appears unlikely that he will ever come. At the end of each day, a boy arrives who delivers them a message. He tells them that Godot was unable to come to day, but he will undoubtedly arrive tomorrow. When the following night arrives, Godot has still not come and the boy returns carrying the same message. The men, Vladimir and Estragon, have confined themselves to the singular activity of waiting for him. All they do, day in and day out, is wait for Godot in the hope that one day he will show up, and everything will be better. There is nothing to do while they wait except try desperately to fill the time with meaningless words and activities. Multiple times they contemplate ending their boredom by hanging themselves. This plan is thwarted by the fact that they have no rope. They say that they will bring rope tomorrow so they may hang themselves.
While Waiting for Godot, was absurd and disjointed, it was a commentary on the mundaneness of life. It was slightly maddening to read in the moment, but extremely interesting to reflect on. I have often thought about what the meaning of life is, and to me, there really is no clear answer. We go mechanically from one day to the next, because that is what we are expected to do, and then one day, we just fade away. The theme of waiting is extremely pertinent. The only thing the men ever do is wait for a better tomorrow when Godot will arrive. Every night they are assured that he is arriving tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, he does not show up. He is always close, but never attainable. To me, this is a clear parallel to how many people never live for the moment. Everything I do is to work towards a better future. You are told to work hard in high school so you can get into a good college, work hard in college so you can get into graduate school, work hard in graduate school so you can get a good job, work hard at your job so you can get a promotion, and then another promotion. Nothing is ever about the present. It is always about a better tomorrow. The problem with that is, the nature of tomorrow is that it is always close, but never obtainable. The future will always be one step ahead of you.