A fundamental pursuit of humanity is the search for meaning. In this article, I compare how Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Albert Camus’ The Outsider challenge this. These works both question the existence of meaning in the universe and the usefulness in our constant search for it. There are similarities in how each work conveys these ideas. However, The Outsider relies mainly on the characterization of Meursault to convey its theme, while Waiting for Godot uses a mixture of dialog, physical actions, setting, and repetition. In addition, The Outsider presents greater optimism about humanity’s potential to accept the absurd than Waiting for Godot.
The character of Meursault
In The Outsider the characterization of Meursault is central to Camus’ portrayal of meaninglessness and the absurd. Meursault’s internal and external life are both devoid of meaning and rational causes. Against our expectations, Meursault expresses no grief over the death of his mother. Similarly, getting married to Marie seemed to be a trivial decision to him. When asked if he loved her, he “…told her it didn’t mean anything but [he] didn’t think so.” Lastly, his murder of the Arab was irrational, the motivation being merely the heat of the sun.
Dialog
Camus uses Meursault’s dialog to convey his characterization and develop the absurdist theme of The Outsider. Meursault uses short, concise, and emotionless statements which reflect his apathy. Beckett also uses dialog in Waiting for Godot to convey the meaninglessness of life. However, instead of using it to develop characterization, irrational dialog is used to directly depict the absurd. Lucky’s speech is a good illustration of this, it is irrational and incoherent. Repetition is often used with the absurd dialog, emphasizing this message while also hinting at the monotony of a meaningless existence. In the case of Lucky’s speech, repetition of the phrase, “for reasons unknown” is used to this effect. It draws attention to how all aspects of life and the universe seem to happen without cause.
Physical action
Beckett also utilizes physical action to depict the lack of meaning to life in Waiting for Godot. Absurd physical actions are performed by the characters throughout the work. For example, in the second act Vladimir and Estragon discover Lucky’s hat. After picking it up they continuously exchange hats with each other several times. No reason for these actions is ever provided. Similarly, at the end of the play Estragon’s trousers fall down without an apparent cause. The irrationality of these actions further portrays the absurd. In The Outsider, Meursault’s murder of the Arab is a physical action used to the same effect.
Setting
The setting of Waiting for Godot hints at the absurd. It consists of only of a road and a bare tree. This void location physically represents the lack of meaning in Vladimir and Estragon’s lives. In the second act leaves bloom on the tree. This however, is meant to be ironic. Growth and fullness are associated with this change, we might expect it to parallel Estragon and Vladimir finding meaning. Instead, their situation remains unchanged. This suggests that nature and the universe are indifferent to human affairs. Camus also uses the setting of The Outsider to portray the irrationality of the universe. However, instead of expanding upon the theme directly through the setting he relies on Meursault’s response to it. Throughout the work Meursault’s reality is dominated by sensory experience. For instance, during the funeral procession of his mother he was more interested in his physical surroundings such as the “…luminous, sun-drenched countryside.” or the “…blue and white sky overhead…” than he was in the death of his own mother. His prospective reduces our existence to mere physicality, implying that it is devoid of meaning.
Uncertainty of time and date in Waiting for Godot contributes to the absurdist theme of the work. The barren setting provides no clues about time. This ambiguity is also suggested by the characters. For instance, in the first act Vladimir and Estragon are unsure of when they were to meet Godot. In reference to this, Estragon asks Vladimir, “But what Saturday? And is it Saturday? Is it not rather Sunday? Or Monday? Or Friday?” This uncertainty is also shown when the characters try to recall the past. This is evident from Estragon’s inability in the second act to remember events that happened the previous day. Overall, these suggest that all events in life are so meaningless that when they occurred is irrelevant. This technique is used in the same way by Camus in The Outsider. The work opens with Meursault reflecting, “Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know.” Like in Waiting for Godot this trivializes the importance of the events, challenging the notion that they have meaning.
Uncertainty of time and date in Waiting for Godot contributes to the absurdist theme of the work. The barren setting provides no clues about time. This ambiguity is also suggested by the characters. For instance, in the first act Vladimir and Estragon are unsure of when they were to meet Godot. In reference to this, Estragon asks Vladimir, “But what Saturday? And is it Saturday? Is it not rather Sunday? Or Monday? Or Friday?” This uncertainty is also shown when the characters try to recall the past. This is evident from Estragon’s inability in the second act to remember events that happened the previous day. Overall, these suggest that all events in life are so meaningless that when they occurred is irrelevant. This technique is used in the same way by Camus in The Outsider. The work opens with Meursault reflecting, “Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know.” Like in Waiting for Godot this trivializes the importance of the events, challenging the notion that they have meaning.
Death
A motif of death is also used in The Stranger to illustrate the lack of meaning in life. Death is a recurrent idea throughout the work. For instance, consider the death of Meursault’s mother, his murder of the Arab, and his execution. Camus portrays death frequently to remind the reader of the inevitability of death. Camus is suggesting that the lives of all humans are meaningless because we will all eventually die. Death is also used in Waiting for Godot. However, instead of implying that death makes life meaningless, it is suggested as a way by which the characters can escape the emptiness of their existence, by hanging themselves.
The search for meaning
Each work illustrates the futility of the search for meaning. In The Outsider this is shown through the court’s response to Meursault’s murder of the Arab. It is clear to the reader that Meursault’s murder was an irrational act without cause, yet both lawyers synthesize rational explanations of Meursault’s crime for the court. This suggests that any meaning we find is fake and falsely created by ourselves. In Waiting for Godot instead of stressing how we falsely create meaning, Beckett shows how fruitless the search for it is. Throughout the play, Vladimir and Estragon wait for Godot, but it becomes increasingly evident to the reader that he will never come. Despite this, they senselessly continue to wait. Beckett is comparing the unproductivity of their waiting to the futility of our search for meaning.
However, the message conveyed in The Outsider is more optimistic than the message in Waiting for Godot. This is because Vladimir and Estragon develop no awareness of the absurdity of their existence throughout the work. Consider the ending of the play. Vladimir asks Estragon, “Shall we go?” and Estragon replies, “Yes, let’s go,” yet they do not move. This shows that even at the end, they are still just as devoted to their futile search for meaning. In contrast, in the end of The Outsider Meursault comprehends the meaninglessness of life. He recognizes the “benign indifference of the world.” Upon this realization he “…felt that [he] had been happy and that [he] was happy again.” Therefore, Camus argues that happiness without meaning is possible and we should strive to embrace the absurd.
However, the message conveyed in The Outsider is more optimistic than the message in Waiting for Godot. This is because Vladimir and Estragon develop no awareness of the absurdity of their existence throughout the work. Consider the ending of the play. Vladimir asks Estragon, “Shall we go?” and Estragon replies, “Yes, let’s go,” yet they do not move. This shows that even at the end, they are still just as devoted to their futile search for meaning. In contrast, in the end of The Outsider Meursault comprehends the meaninglessness of life. He recognizes the “benign indifference of the world.” Upon this realization he “…felt that [he] had been happy and that [he] was happy again.” Therefore, Camus argues that happiness without meaning is possible and we should strive to embrace the absurd.
Summary
In conclusion, Beckett and Camus question the existence of meaning in the universe and the value in searching for it in their respective works, Waiting for Godot and The Outsider. Both authors use physical action, setting, uncertainty, and the concept of death to communicate this. However, The Outsider uses these techniques mainly through the characterization of the protagonist. Furthermore, Beckett expresses greater pessimism about humanity’s potential to accept the absurd. Despite these differences, both works raise similar questions about our place in the universe.
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