Godot. G-O-D-O-T. GO-DOT. All different ways to spell Godot. Funny how one name seems to shape an entire play. A name of a man that NEVER shows up, nonetheless.
I'm going with the concept that "We are not supposed to understand what is going on." When reading the pages of this play I realize that there are meanings weaved in and out of the words on the pages, but it is left up to interpretation. But what if the interpretation is that there is no interpretation? I'm sure the author had it in his mind that after looking over all of his work he probably thought that this was an interesting piece of work. How did it become well known literature? Why are we reading it right now?
Literature is more than a beginning and an ending, it's about a journey. This play is about the journey these two men, DiDi and GoGo go through. Have you ever gone on a joy ride? Have you ever just wanted to go for a drive because you wanted to get away from it all? When doing that, there is no set destination. We just feel our way through the twists and turns of the road. Sometimes there are traffic lights to make us aware of the intersections we are facing, at other times there are absolutely no lights stopping anyone from going anywhere.
Is that what it is like for the men in this play? Is there destination chosen? Sure they know who they are waiting to see, but are they truly looking for a definite person or are they just sitting there for the mere enjoyment of each others company? I think it is a bit of both really.
I used to say to my best friend, "Oh, we'll one day be two old bitties out on our front porches playing chess and sipping on ice tea. Just the two of us." The truth is, we have no idea if that day will ever come. We don't know if we will live that long to have that "dream" come true. What we do have is a vision of what we see for ourselves in the future.
Waiting for Godot is a piece that keeps on creating. Like I said in class, God is still creating and I think this is a simple example of that in our very own hands. This book allows us to fill in the gaps that aren't concrete with ideas. It allows us to mold and shape the characters even further than what the text states.
When reading this I will remember that it's like living a journey, not about seeking a destination.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Waiting for Godot
Strange. Peculiar. Odd.
All three describe the way I feel about the Godot story. Seemingly waiting for a man that may never come is hardly interesting, but what becomes interesting is what they do while waiting for Godot. GoGo and DiDi's characters come out. I am baffled by a story such as this that begins with one of them trying to get a boot off. How does one make a story line out of a beginning like that!?
The strange part about this story so far is that the scene is simple, yet they have a way of making things complex and misshapen. They talk about the Bible and other things that in someways have nothing to do with each other, yet have EVERYTHING to do with each other.
I wonder if these two men even know Godot or if they are waiting for him like a child waits for a mailman to give him the package he's been waiting for. When Estragon states, "There is nothing to be done." Does that imply that nothing IS to literally be done throughout the entire play? Because to an outsider reading this play for the first time, it sure feels that way intentionally.
Vladimir takes on a whole new ball of wax for me. He talks, a lot. His mind seems to never stop racing with things to talk about. When Estragon doesn't feel like having a conversation the whole time , Vladimir gets frustrated and says things like "GoGo why can't you return the ball every once and awhile?" I think that's a play on words and conversation. At first when I read that, I thought he was talking to a dog. The way the conversation usually plays out, it seems more of a cat and mouse kind of dialog.
So far, from what I have read, it seems like the two men are close and support each others dreams and ambition. I think they also support each others ideas on topics, but also challenge each other to understand their surroundings deeper and more meaningfully.
Waiting for a person that may never come seems odd to me, but I also see the deeper element into why this play was a success. As I read on further and come to what will probably be an open-ended conclusion, I will be able to state more about Godot. As of right now, the play is rattling my brain and the characters are hilarious!
All three describe the way I feel about the Godot story. Seemingly waiting for a man that may never come is hardly interesting, but what becomes interesting is what they do while waiting for Godot. GoGo and DiDi's characters come out. I am baffled by a story such as this that begins with one of them trying to get a boot off. How does one make a story line out of a beginning like that!?
The strange part about this story so far is that the scene is simple, yet they have a way of making things complex and misshapen. They talk about the Bible and other things that in someways have nothing to do with each other, yet have EVERYTHING to do with each other.
I wonder if these two men even know Godot or if they are waiting for him like a child waits for a mailman to give him the package he's been waiting for. When Estragon states, "There is nothing to be done." Does that imply that nothing IS to literally be done throughout the entire play? Because to an outsider reading this play for the first time, it sure feels that way intentionally.
Vladimir takes on a whole new ball of wax for me. He talks, a lot. His mind seems to never stop racing with things to talk about. When Estragon doesn't feel like having a conversation the whole time , Vladimir gets frustrated and says things like "GoGo why can't you return the ball every once and awhile?" I think that's a play on words and conversation. At first when I read that, I thought he was talking to a dog. The way the conversation usually plays out, it seems more of a cat and mouse kind of dialog.
So far, from what I have read, it seems like the two men are close and support each others dreams and ambition. I think they also support each others ideas on topics, but also challenge each other to understand their surroundings deeper and more meaningfully.
Waiting for a person that may never come seems odd to me, but I also see the deeper element into why this play was a success. As I read on further and come to what will probably be an open-ended conclusion, I will be able to state more about Godot. As of right now, the play is rattling my brain and the characters are hilarious!
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