Joneal Joplin, who has directed Samual Beckett’s play, Waiting for Godot, said: “Are we there yet? We said it as children; we are plagued by it as adults. No matter how short or long the trip, no matter how entertaining or boring the company, no matter how beautiful or inviting the scenery, the destination was all we could think about, and we often missed the best part of the trip: the journey itself.” Many people have speculated that this terribly bleak play is centered around the quest for meaning; but how is meaning derived? Can it be measured? Is it the symbolic journey, as Joplin infers, that makes things meaningful? As a whole, the play symbolizes this “journey” for all humans. In Waiting for Godot, Beckett argues that humans discover meaning in their lives through freedom of choice, routine, and companionship in their journey through life.
Freedom of choice is very important in peoples’ lives. It gives them the sense that they are in control. In Waiting for Godot, it is inferred that Vladimir and Estragon, the two main characters, symbolize all mankind, because they are the only characters always present on the stage. Beckett also gives neither Vladimir nor Estragon strong character defining traits, so they seem as if they are universal human beings. In fact, the reader finds it difficult to distinguish the two during much of the first act, because Beckett has purposely stripped away most of the characterization to make them seem universal. Throughout the play, however, it is quite clear that Vladimir and Estragon make a conscious choice to wait for Godot. As Vladimir says, “He didn’t say for sure he’d come” (8). They seem to be under no obligation to be waiting except by their own choice. Another example of their freedom of choice is when Estragon says, “And if we dropped him?” (107). Vladimir responds, “He’d punish us” (107). Godot would have no reason to punish Vladimir and Estragon if they did not have a choice. Vladimir also makes their...