“…man cannot bear the absence of meaning for long. And meaning, in the most basic sense, is a pattern. If man cannot find a pattern in his world, he will try with every means at his disposal to create it, or at least to imagine it” (Webb 55). Aristotle originally expressed this idea, which manifests itself throughout Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, as the protagonists, Vladimir and Estragon, impose on themselves a fruitless and pitiful scheme: to wait for Godot. Although Godot is a vague figure and would never live up to the protagonists' expectations if he made his appearance, he offers Vladimir and Estragon the illusion of giving meaning to their lives. Vladimir and Estragon (or Didi and Gogo, respectively) do everything they can to maintain this pattern of waiting which, as Aristotle states, gives them the impression that their lives are not “meaningless” – that despite being poor and homeless (deplorable traits in society) are existential successes (Webb 55). All Didi and Gogo have is to wait; they essentially lost everything else, or never had any of it, such as money, prestige, memory, protection, happiness, etc. Through this model of absurdity and futility the two satirize the universal person's desire for meaning within his or her persona. life and also reveal illusory patterns that seem to indicate meaning. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The beginning of the play resonates with Godot's desolation and uselessness. The scene contains only a tree and two men, while the first words spoken express the futility of the action: Estragon states, after failing to put on his boot, “There is nothing to be done” (Beckett, Waiting for Godot 1.1. 7). This concise statement sums up the entire work; expresses their actions, their thoughts, and, essentially, their lives by starting the play with feelings of futility, a feeling that never diminishes but rather recurs intermittently throughout the play. The futility of Estragon's thought is immediately followed by his futility of action: he indignantly declares: “I go. (It doesn't move)” (Beckett, Waiting for Godot 1.1.9). This threat, however, is implausible; Estragon and Vladimir live in a very fragile world, carefully crafted to create the illusion that they, two scruffy tramps, have meaningful lives and do not simply exist to exist. They base this illusion on waiting for Godot, on not leaving their bleak surroundings under any circumstances, which is why their multitudes of threats to leave are not credible. Shortly thereafter, Vladimir explains the purpose of the wait to Estragon, who appears to be suffering from amnesia, the first representation of fleeting abilities in the play. In an oft-repeated dialogue with the forgetful Estragon, Vladimir explains: “We are waiting for Godot” (Beckett, Waiting for Godot 1.1.10). He continues by stating:Vladimir: He did not say for sure that he would come.Estragon: What if he doesn't come?Vladimir: We will return tomorrow.Estragon: And then the day after tomorrow.Vladimir: Perhaps.Estragon: And so on. (Beckett, Waiting for Godot 1.1.10) Godot, however, shows no signs of appearing; it is doubtful whether Godot exists or not, which, ironically, is the point of the entire work: to define one's existence by someone who may not exist. Even Vladimir himself displays uncertainty both about Godot's existence and his importance, or relevance, to himself and Estragon. The two argue: Estragon: What exactly did we ask him? Vladimir: Weren't you there? Estragon: I cannot have listened. Vladimir: Oh. . . Nothing very defined. (Beckett, Waiting for Godot 1.1.13) For Vladimir, however, Godot's purpose is of little importance; Godot, even if the result of his ownimagination, gives him and Estragon a reason to wake up in the morning: a pattern. Literary critic June Schlueter notes that “…waiting has been their entire existence and they cannot recognize that it is useless” (Schlueter 51). Therefore, Vladimir is aware of the futility of his waiting, but, as already mentioned, he neglects the veracity of Godot's existence to generate an illusion of meaning for him and Estragon. In Waiting for Godot the entire play is made up of Didi and Gogo's waiting, but a good part of their waiting includes simple games that the protagonists play to make each day go by faster. Literary critic Schlueter explains that “each of their games, however, is short-lived: there are a few lines of dialogue, the game is complete, and then there is silence” (Schlueter 49-50). They tell stories, reminisce, curse each other, and discuss suicide: pretty much everything, as Vladimir puts it, "passes time" (Beckett, Waiting for Godot 1.1.31). Although literary critic Andrew Kennedy states that “Estragon and Vladimir's expectations appear to be limitless and irrational; and the various climaxes and pseudo-climaxes, or non-arrivals, do not change their condition...", it is actually the stagnation of the work - the lack of a climax or a common progression of the plot - that makes the message of Beckett on passive waiting and satirizing the universal man. And these devices work in a work that Schlueter describes as lacking "plot progression... [having] no casual relationship between events, no linear sequence" ( Schlueter 50) Furthermore, Vladimir understands his nature; he has no “unlimited and irrational” expectations: he simply convinces himself that Godot is real and that his arrival is imminent in order to establish an illusion of meaning in his life he is a foolish character at all; he understands the power he has given Gidit and knows that, in reality, he is waiting in vain, although spending time with Estragon and convincing him that they are waiting for Godot helps alleviate the futility and gives him the feeling of importance. Despite literary critic Kennedy's statement that “the risk of waiting in vain is emphasized early in the play,” it is clear that Vladimir understands his circumstances. He confirms this statement in his epiphany of sorts, where, after asking numerous questions of a servant who delivers a message to Godot, he realizes Godot's power:Vladimir: (softly). Do you have a beard, Mr. Godot? Boy: Yes, sir. Vladimir: Right o. . . (hesitates). . . or black? Guy: I think it's white, Sir.Silence.Vladimir: Christ have mercy on us! (Beckett, Waiting for Godot 2.1.13) The critic Eugene Webb notes that Vladimir's impassioned exclamation that concludes their dialogue is explained by: “...[Vladimir realizes] the painful truth that Godot has transformed with his imagination into a kind of God, in a figure, that is, representing absolute power and ultimate meaning, is an empty God like the traditional one 'with a white beard...'” (Webb 64). However, although Vladimir somewhat fears the power that Godot exudes, he does not allow himself to fully see the truth that Godot, as a God with a “white beard,” may not be real, as the illusion is too important to his life to be able to see it. be shocked by reality. Although comparing Estragon and Vladimir to the common, or universal, person may seem absurd due to Godot's ridiculous settings and characters, the characters successfully embody a human being's obsession with finding meaning in his life. In the second act, Vladimir and Estragon meet a servant and his master, Lucky and Pozzo, who provide insight into the destructiveness and weakening of the relationship between master and servant. Lucky, the ironically named servant, is., 2001. 54-64.