Habituation | Waiting for Godot
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This document discusses the concept of habituation as presented in Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot. It summarizes that the two main characters Vladimir and Estragon are in the habit of waiting for Godot as a way to avoid facing the harsh realities of the human condition. Their hope that Godot will come keeps them stagnant and prevents them from taking action to change their situation. The document then draws a parallel between Vladimir and Estragon and Saudi youth who either wait for drastic political or societal changes or choose to engage in extremism like suicide attacks, both of which are ways of avoiding taking real action.
Habituation | Waiting for Godot
- 1. Habituation is becoming accustomed or used to something.
- 2. – Martin Esslin, The Theatre of the Absurd “The hope, the habit of hoping, that Godot might come after all is the last illusion that keeps Vladimir and Estragon from facing the human condition and themselves in the harsh light of fully conscious awareness..”
- 3. • Habits are acquired, so Gogo and Didi chose to be in the habit of waiting to evade facing the anguish that comes from facing the reality of the human condition. They gave up on change to the point that they entertain the idea of committing suicide.
- 4. • Their situation reminds me of ours as Saudi youth. A lot of us are hopeful of drastic governmental changes, or the return of Rashidun Caliphate, or even the coming of Almahdi. (Waiting for Godot) • Another part of us choose to go to Syria or Iraq to execute bomb attacks which is basically killing themselves. (Committing suicide) • The problem is that both sides are avoiding to take action to actually change something.
- 5. Examples from the Play
- 6. –Vladimir “The air is full of cries, but habit is a great deadner.” Didi is aware that they are waiting out of habit:
- 7. –Vladimir “He'll know nothing. He'll tell me about the blows he received and I'll give him a carrot..” He also makes reference to familiar rituals, speaking of the future in definite, factual terms. With ritual comes perpetuity. Believing in Godot's arrival traps him and Estragon in an endless state of stagnation, preventing them from engaging in action that might otherwise improve their circumstances. !
- 8. Pozzo & Lucky! Their interaction follows a fixed set of actions — it is a ritual, and one which offers them certainty and familiarity. !
- 9. –Pzzo “(with magnanimous gesture). Let's say no more about it. (He jerks the rope.) Up pig! (Pause.) Every time he drops he falls asleep. (Jerks the rope.) Up hog! (Noise of Lucky getting up and picking up his baggage. Pozzo jerks the rope.) Back! (Enter Lucky backwards.) Stop! (Lucky stops.) Turn! (Lucky turns. To Vladimir and Estragon, affably.) Gentlemen, I am happy to have met you. (Before their incredulous expression.) Yes yes, sincerely happy. (He jerks the rope.) Closer! (Lucky advances.) Stop! (Lucky stops.) Yes, the road seems long when one journeys all alone for . . . (he consults his watch) . . . yes . . . (he calculates) . . . yes, six hours, that's right, six hours on end, and never a soul in sight. (To Lucky.) Coat! (Lucky puts down the bag, advances, gives the coat, goes back to his place, takes up the bag.) Hold that! (Pozzo holds out the whip. Lucky advances and, both his hands being occupied, takes the whip in his mouth, then goes back to his place. Pozzo begins to put on his coat, stops.) Coat! (Lucky puts down the bag, basket and stool, helps Pozzo on with his coat, goes back to his place and takes up bag, basket and stool.) Touch of autumn in the air this evening. (Pozzo finishes buttoning up his coat, stoops, inspects himself, straightens up.) Whip! (Lucky advances, stoops, Pozzo snatches the whip from his mouth, Lucky goes back to his place.) Yes, gentlemen, I cannot go for long without the society of my likes (he puts on his glasses and looks at the two likes) even when the likeness is an imperfect one. (He takes off his glasses.) Stool! (Lucky puts down bag and basket, advances, opens stool, puts it down, goes back to his place, takes up bag and basket.) Closer! (Lucky puts down bag and basket, advances, moves stool, goes back to his place, takes up bag and basket. Pozzo sits down, places the butt of his whip against Lucky's chest and pushes.) Back! (Lucky takes a step back.) Further! (Lucky takes another step back.) Stop! (Lucky stops. To Vladimir and Estragon.) That is why, with your permission, I propose to dally with you a moment, before I venture any further. Basket! (Lucky advances, gives the basket, goes back to his place.) The fresh air stimulates the jaded appetite. (He opens the basket, takes out a piece of chicken and a bottle of wine.) Basket! (Lucky advances, picks up the basket and goes back to his place.) Further! (Lucky takes a step back.) He stinks. Happy days!” He drinks from the bottle, puts it down and begins to eat. Silence..