Waiting for Godot Reflection

Waiting for Godot is a play that was written by Samuel Beckett. The original version of the play was done in French, but later there was a translation to English. The play is rich culture, and there are diverse cultures that are expressed in the play. Respect for elders and religion are among the cultures that have been depicted by the play in a broad scope. The play was written in the period after the Second World War, and it expresses different effects of the war to the cultural values and the region. Through panel discussions, the context and culture base of the play was made easy to understand. This paper will discuss the cultural and contextual considerations that were developed through the panel discussion.

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It is clear that the play was written considering the Second World War events and the effects that the war had brought to the natives. The culture was adversely affected by the war since most of their practices were undermined and forgotten. Surrealism was one of the cultures that was being practiced since the 1920s but was dropped and resurfaced and can be observed in Waiting for Godot. This culture can be depicted in Vladimirs memory of events that do not stir recollection for Estragon. In Luckys speech, the culture is again clear whereby a stream of consciousness takes on the people and for a moment they get an experience that breaks their monotonous ways of living.

Beckett portrayed the universe to be a complex and meaningless phenomenon. This is so because the play has an absurdist character. This is a type of theater that depicts the universe as hostile and meaningless. The characters in the play also are seen not to be sure or less concerned with what to do with themselves. This character can be observed at the beginning of the play where Estragon is beaten and cannot do anything about it but hopes that Godot is energetic and will come to their rescue. No efforts are made towards stopping the vice at all. In the discussion, the culture is well explained, and it is easier to understand what the play was all about. The wait for Godot is also seen to be idiotic since they were not sure when Godot would come and end their troubles.

The culture of slavery came up well in the play. Lucky was Pozzos slave. Pozzo was so abusive and was so cruel to his slave. From the play the way Pozzo handles Lucky is cruel and inhuman. He utters abusive words to Lucky and eats his chicken and takes wine selfishly. Estragon grabs the bones after Pozzo finishes eating his chicken. This shows that these people are poor and that the universe is unfair to them. Although the next meeting they have with Pozzo gives a different picture and that Pozzo has trouble since he is blind and he needs to be supported by Lucky, who is now dumb. This shows that different people have different challenges and needs. Estragon realizes this when he wants to take his revenge on Lucky by kicking him. Vladimir and Estragon consider committing suicide if Godot does not appear to rescue them but then they are not successful in doing so. It is this part of the play that shows these people are foolish, and they cannot reason and find solutions to their problems and that they should be assisted by Godot which is wrong. These characters wake up and sleep in the same spot waiting for someone who they are uncertain about his arrival. This was the behavior of people around the time which the play was written, and it was to teach them on how they can be self-reliant.

The play has a setting that is similar to the real world and the features used are real. The difference is that Vladimir and Estragon sleep in a ditch, and they are not energetic. Besides, these characters are poor and foolish. They wait for Godot whom they think is wealthy and has a comfortable life. The setting is so poor that when Pozzo wants to sell Lucky, his slave, there is nobody who can afford. He instead starts to enjoy Vladimir and Estragons company. In the world, this situation is also observable in the sense that there are people who think that opportunities are open to a few chosen individuals and that they have a right to be assisted by those who are fortunate enough and successful in their lives. Poverty levels are high in some societies because there are practices that suppress the development of other people. Resources are minimal and can only be utilized by those who have a keen eye on how to single out opportunities.

To conclude, Beckett is a contributor to an absurdist theater. This is the kind of art that depicts life to be meaningless, and that can be expressed by the way the plays setting cannot be understood. Even at the end of the play, Vladimir and Estragon decide to move away from the point where they were staying yet they remain there. In fact, they could not remember what they had done in the previous day and so the discussion helped in getting the meaning of some phenomena in the play.

Work cited

Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. Grove/Atlantic, Inc, 2011. Internet resource.