![]() This confusion of reality with a dream or a false representation is a central, common feature of Postmodernism. Both Vladimir and Pozzo question, in act two, whether they are actually awake or are simply dreaming. Finally, some of Beckett's characters feel a separation from reality. At times, the characters don't even know who they are, as Estragon cannot remember his own past, for example. The characters of Waiting for Godot are also profoundly disoriented: they don't know where, or when, they are. Everyone in the play seems to be trapped or enslaved in some way, but no one seems to be the master. Pozzo is Lucky's master, but he is far from free or powerful. Vladimir and Estragon are, in a sense, trapped in their place of waiting, even though no one is forcing them to stay. Characters are often unable to move or get up from the ground for no apparent reason. Another Postmodern feature of the play is a pervasive sense of entrapment or enslavement, but a lack of any central authority. The religious and cultural traditions of the past have lost their authority and centrality in the world of the play. And Pozzo invokes "Atlas, son of Jupiter!" but doesn't actually believe in the force of this classical reference (what's more, he gets his mythological family tree wrong). Estragon compares himself to Christ in act one, for example, but the comparison is rather ridiculous. There are some biblical and classical references in the play, but they are only used ironically. ![]() This includes grand narratives of historical progress-that history is the story of human life continually getting better-as well as religious narratives like the Bible. One of these is an alienation from tradition and a questioning of the grand narratives that were previously seen to have some kind of authority. While Postmodernism is difficult to define exactly, Waiting for Godot displays a number of the defining features of a Postmodern conception of the world. In any case, Beckett's play sits on the fence between these two movements. Moreover, it is also debated whether Postmodernism continues the aspirations of Modernism, or is a more radical break with it. Both Modernism and Postmodernism are rather vague terms, often used differently by different critics. However, the play can also be seen as somewhat Postmodern, belonging to the literary and artistic period following Modernism. ![]() Beckett's play shares with Modernist works a fascination with pushing the boundaries of literary genre, representation, and etiquette, as well as an interest in language and thought prioritized above action and plot. Modernist writers saw themselves as dramatically breaking with the past and innovating in all aspects of art, literature, and culture. Written in 1953, Waiting for Godot was a somewhat late successor to the vibrant experimentation in art and literature of the late 19th and early 20th centuries known as Modernism. ![]()
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