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Waiting for Godot

by Samuel Beckett

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Discussion Topic

Pozzo's symbolism, identity confusion, and character-defining props in Waiting for Godot

Summary:

Pozzo in Waiting for Godot symbolizes the arbitrary nature of power and authority. His identity confusion reflects the existential themes of the play, highlighting the fluidity and meaninglessness of human roles. Pozzo's character-defining props, such as his rope and whip, signify dominance and control, while his blindness and dependence on Lucky in the second act underscore the frailty and transient nature of power.

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What does Pozzo symbolize in Waiting for Godot?

One interpretation of the character of Pozzo in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot views him as a symbol of the wretched excesses of capitalism. When the arrogant desire for money and power go unchecked, Beckett implies, the person afflicted with those vices will ultimately suffer, not just the people they dominate.

In the early parts of the play, the wealthy owner Pozzo relishes his control over Lucky. Physically subjugating and even humiliating another person seem to bring Pozzo satisfaction, and he shows no remorse over his inhumane treatment of the other man. This dehumanization also corresponds to the effects of enslavement. By the end, however, their roles are reversed. Having lost the things he once valued, Pozzo is dependent on Lucky, who silently guides his former master.

When the pair first appears on stage, Pozzo is holding a rope that is tied around Lucky’s neck. The fact that Lucky...

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is carrying the other man’s goods suggests the inequality in their relationship, as Lucky resembles an animal. Both Pozzo’s whipping him and their dialogue reveal the enjoyment that Pozzo derives from believing he has total control over Lucky. Referring to the other man as a “pig,” Pozzo mostly barks commands but sometimes praises Lucky in a patronizing way.

Pozzo’s downfall, which is revealed near the play’s end, may be understood as an allusion to classical Greek tragedy. Although Pozzo is not heroic, he suffers a reversal of fortune. Pozzo is blinded, echoing the fate of Oedipus in Oedipus Rex. Thus, the audience can also see the consequences of hubris, or excessive pride.

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What is the significance of Pozzo's identity confusion in Waiting for Godot?

When Pozzo first enters Samuel Beckett’s absurdist drama Waiting for Godot, at about fifteen minutes into the play, the characters Estragon (called “Gogo”) and Vladimir (called “Didi”) are waiting for the appearance of someone named “Godot.” They’ve been waiting for Godot for at least a day, perhaps even longer, since neither of them seems to know what day it is or how long they’ve been waiting.

VLADIMIR. We're waiting for Godot…
ESTRAGON. And if he doesn't come?
VLADIMIR. We'll come back tomorrow.
ESTRAGON. And then the day after tomorrow…
ESTRAGON. We came here yesterday…
VLADIMIR. He said Saturday. (Pause.) I think.
ESTRAGON. But what Saturday? And is it Saturday? Is it not rather Sunday? (Pause.) Or Monday? (Pause.) Or Friday?

Pozzo's entrance is preceded by Lucky, Pozzo’s servant or slave, who’s at the end of a long rope held by Pozzo, who drives him along with a whip.

The absurdity of Estragon and Vladimir’s situation and the dilemma in which they find themselves becomes clear within just a few lines.

ESTRAGON. Is that him?
VLADIMIR. Who?
ESTRAGON. (trying to remember the name). Er...
VLADIMIR. Godot?
ESTRAGON. Yes.

Estragon can’t even remember Godot’s name.

Estragon, Vladimir, and the audience might well believe that the imperious Pozzo is the long-awaited Godot, until Pozzo introduces himself.

POZZO. I present myself: Pozzo.

Estragon mishears him.

ESTRAGON. He said Godot.
VLADIMIR. Not at all!
ESTRAGON. (timidly, to Pozzo). You're not Mr. Godot, Sir?
POZZO. (terrifying voice). I am Pozzo!

Further discussion among Estragon, Vladimir, and Pozzo discloses that Estragon and Vladimir are wholly ignorant about Godot. They don’t know him, have never met him, and don’t even know what he looks like.

POZZO. Who is Godot?…
VLADIMIR. Oh he's a...he's a kind of acquaintance.
ESTRAGON. Nothing of the kind, we hardly know him.
VLADIMIR. True...we don't know him very well...but all the same...
ESTRAGON. Personally, I wouldn't even know him if I saw him.

Later in the play, it’s revealed that Estragon and Vladimir have simply been told to wait for Godot by a young boy.

BOY. Mr. Godot told me to tell you he won't come this evening but surely tomorrow.
Silence.
VLADIMIR. Is that all?
BOY. Yes, Sir.

The utter absurdity of Estragon and Vladimir’s situation is that they continue to wait for Godot, seemingly for no reason other than that they’ve been told to do so, even though they have no idea who Godot is or why they’re waiting for him.

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How do Pozzo's props in Waiting for Godot define his character?

Pozzo’s props—mostly carried by Lucky—are remnants of a better life that Pozzo has lost along his infamous way. His most important “prop” is Lucky—the last of Pozzo’s empire of subjects, or audience, if we give his character a vaudeville past. Attached by a noose-rope, Lucky is the prop that get Pozzo through his self-aggrandized day (“Does that name meet nothing to?”). Next of importance is the whip, a universal symbol of dominance, especially of animals (“Pig! Hog!”). Then the heavy bag Lucky carries, full of the “possessions” Pozzo has left from his glory days (handkerchief, pipe, etc.), and a symbol of all our “baggage). The stool is Pozzo’s remnant of a throne (note that Lucky never sits in Pozzo’s presence). The picnic basket establishes Pozzo-s dominance over Luck’s livelihood/nourishment (chicken and wine), and the greatcoat is his royal robe. His glasses are, besides the universal symbol of looking at things carefully (here used to see some slight resemblance between himself and the two other “made in God’s image” Gogo and Didi), are one sign of his growing dimness and age. The pipe is a luxury of a “man of leisure” as contrasted with Luck’s “burdens”. Finally, the vaporizer for his throat before he “pontificates”, can be seen in contrast to Lucky’s long speech (“thinking”). In the second act, many of these details take on different meanings.
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