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“Without Reason or Not At All“

The waiting process can be a painful one sometimes. You are expecting something or someone, and you are uncertain when it, she, or he will come (of they come at all). How long do you have to wait? When will the waiting finally be over? You wait and wait and nothing materializes.

In Samuel Beckett’s play, Waiting for Godot (underline title), the two main characters, Estragon and Vladimir are placed in this position. It is clear that they are waiting for Godot, but who or what is Godot? After reading the play, I’ve gathered that this “Godot character “represented Estragon and Vladimir’s need to be of use and to exist.

Ironically, their appointment with Godot takes them further away from these two goals. Every evening, Estragon and Vladimir wait by a tree on a country road for Godot, and every night they are left empty-handed without the hope of Godot’s return or first coming. The same routine is carried out on a daily basis and Estragon begs to end the charade. Yet, Vladimir, the leader of the duo, is unwilling to admit that Godot may never come. By the end of the play, my mind swam with questions. Why does Estragon stay? Why does Vladimir believe in Godot? Why do they wait? Why do we wait?

We wait because there is possibility. It may be easier to give up than to press forward. It may be harder to begrudgingly measure the strands of time than to pull them apart. For all of the tenacious souls out there, it is better to wait without reason than not to wait at all.

--Kerri Byam

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