Faith, Action, and Repetition in Waiting for Godot

Religious Interpretations in Waiting for Godot

Does the play warrant a religious reading? Can Godot be considered a Christ figure or simply a religious figure? If so, what is implied by his failure to appear? What about Estragon's attempts to equate himself with Christ? Consider also the many biblical allusions throughout the play, such as the mention of Cain and Abel and the discussion of the story of the two thieves.

Beckett's apparent wariness of religion (or perhaps because he wishes to make folly of it), the question of faith appears frequently in Waiting for Godot. Most obviously, the metaphor stems from the eternal waiting that the Christian faces in his belief that Christ will return but at an unknown time. The play first addresses this central tenet of faith in an early dialogue between Vladimir and Estragon.

The Significance of Action and Stage Directions

Though it seems as if nothing happens in the play, actions actually play a very important role in Waiting for Godot. The stage directions of the play constitute nearly half of the text, suggesting that the actions, expressions, and emotions of the actors are as important as the dialogue. Examine the significance of the stage directions of one particular scene; for example, why is Estragon always struggling with his boot? What is the significance of Pozzo's vaporizer spray? What is the point of the scene in which Vladimir and Estragon exchange hats eight times?

Pozzo's Vaporizer and Class Identity

The function of Pozzo's constant action of spraying his vaporizer has something to do with the identity of his class. Pozzo obviously represents a person in higher status of the hierarchical structure of the human society, and it is required for people like him to keep himself flawless. Thus the constant spray of the vaporizer means that Pozzo is subconsciously aware that his mouth cannot smell bad, hence he keeps spraying the vaporizer. Also it represents a sense of diffidence, like many others in the society with similar bad habits, because spraying at the rate of Pozzo is definitely too much, this overreaction must come from the fact that he is not sure of himself.

Estragon's Struggles and the Hat Switching Incident

That Estragon (Gogo) always wants to eat and sleep and always struggles with his boot may suggest humans try to earn a living and struggle for their life. The hat switching incident is another illustration of the endless, often mindless, repetition that seems to characterize the play. Like Vladimir's song at the beginning of Act II, the hat switching could go on perpetually and only stops when Vladimir decides arbitrarily to put an end to it.