And, come to think of it, they can’t even be sure if this is a tree or not. As Estragon points out, they’re not sure if this is the right tree. This should be reassuring – it means the men are in the right place. Vladimir reports that he was told to wait for Godot by the tree. (Uncertainty! Again.) (Repetition! Again.) There’s more. (Duality! Again.) The uncertainty that stems from inconsistency between the four gospels is fitting, too, since Vladimir can’t be certain if Godot is coming to save either one of them. This fits quite nicely with gospel’s tale as Vladimir tells it one thief is saved and the other damned, so Didi and Gogo are looking at a fifty-fifty chance. You just can’t get rid of it in this play.) But you can also think of the two men not as Jesus, but rather as the two thieves crucified along with Jesus. (There’s that pesky "nothing" word again. If Jesus died for the sins of others, Vladimir and Estragon are dying for…nothing. (Also, if you check out the painting that inspired Beckett, you’ll see that a big tree features prominently.) Right off the bat you’ve got the biblical stuff Jesus was crucified on a cross, but that cross is sometimes referred to as a "tree," as in, "Jesus was nailed to the tree." That Vladimir and Estragon contemplate hanging themselves from the tree is likely a reference to the crucifixion, but it also parodies the religious significance. The tree is the only distinct piece of the setting, so we’re pretty sure it matters. Even the tone of Waiting for Godot is filled with duality: two person arguments, back-and-forth questions, disagreement-agreement, questions and (often inadequate) answers. But my right lung is sound as a bell!" More pairs, more arbitrary damnation. It’s minor, but check out Estragon’s line in Act I: "My left lung is very weak. In the Bible, Cain’s sacrifice was rejected and Abel’s accepted for no discernible reason. If Vladimir and Estragon try to hang themselves, the bough may or may not break. One thief is saved and other damned, but for no clear reason. With these pairs comes the repeated notion of arbitrary, 50/50 chances. There’s Vladimir and Estragon, the two thieves, the Boy and his brother, Pozzo and Lucky, Cain and Abel, and of course the two acts of the play itself. Waiting for Godot is chock-full of pairs.
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