Hope And Senselessness In Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot

The play “Waiting for Godot” is written by Samuel Beckett. The play attempts to introduce the readers to the world of senselessness that we live. The play, in general, is an illustration of the nothingness that we become a part. The main characters in “Waiting for Godot” live a life that nothing seems to move or happen and therefore, this essay attempts to explore the elements of hope and pessimism in the world of nothingness.
In the second act of the play, Vladimir and Estragon are seen in the same place where the first act had ended, even though they act as though they had left. In this act, we see that Estragon can’t remember having been in that place before when dismissing Vladimir’s suggestion of having been in that place before (Beckett). Estragon thinks that it’s one of Vladimir’s nightmares and this portrays many other situations that Beckett tries to show that the situation in the play is an unfortunate reality. It is evident that Vladimir is the most optimistic of the two while Estragon sees problems without solutions and no reason to

When Vladimir sees that tree no more has left, he is saddened thinking that it is dead. However, Estragon tells him, “No more weeping” (Beckett 10), a statement showing there is no gain in weeping over a dead tree. This tree’s sprouting of leaves has been a symbol of hope in Actii, representing a possibility of mankind’s renewal through God’s grace. The two tramps long wait for Godot is a representation of their hope and optimism. Vladimir hopes that his life will change for good once Godot meets him. During their waiting, they are confronted with despair and at one time contemplate committing suicide, but they give up the attempt. They then resume their waiting for Godot with hope, “As they do not lose hope, are waiting for Godot with some hope, they are naive, incurably optimistic ideologists.”(Vmanimozhi