Comparing Albert Camus’s The Stranger, and Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot

There are many similarities when reading Albert Camus’s novel, The Stranger, and Samuel Beckett’s play, Waiting for Godot. It is not that they were written in French, but that they both explore the absurdity of the world and that of existence. These books are characterized as being uneventful and morbid, but they carry significant messages beneath the plot and dialogue. Life is the passing of time, ultimately finalized by death. People want to assign meaning to their lives, a useless desire that takes its toll on all. But the only truth is in how an individual fulfills his or her own void. In regards to existence, people must follow their own convictions and decisions for fulfillment. In both The Stranger and Waiting for Godot, the authors reveal life’s unpredictability and the cruel indifference of humanity. In The Stranger, Meursault is an indifferent character who remains perfectly composed during life’s endless tribulations. In Waiting for Godot, Vladimir and Estragon wastefully pass time waiting for Godot, a man who might never come. Although Camus and Beckett deliver a very somber view on humanity, their characters reinstate themselves as committed and genuine individuals.
A major discrepancy between the novel and the play is that Vladimir and Estragon believe and want salvation from God, while Meursault outwardly rejects it. Not much goes on in Waiting for Godot, the play is focused on two men waiting for Godot, a man they neither know, seen, or ever met. The play is mostly dialogue between Estragon and Vladimir, who are almost unaware of their own existence. Their wait for Godot can be seen as waiting for salvation from God. As they wait for Godot Vladimir explains to Estragon, “ What are we doing here, tha...

... middle of paper ...

... reminisce about the past, “Estragon: …I sometimes wonder if we wouldn’t have been better off alone, each one for himself. We weren’t made for the same road. Vladimir: It’s not certain” (Beckett Act 2 36). Vladimir and Estragon could not have survived without each other’s presence, but they have also not found themselves. Meursault is very certain in the person he is, but Vladimir and Estragon are still searching for themselves. Vladimir and Estragon do not try and find themselves in their own personal choices, since the only choice they make in their life is to wait for Godot. Vladimir and Estragon wait for Godot (God) to give them a purpose or role in their life. Unlike Meursault who has his own beliefs, Vladimir and Estragon are incapable of finding any truth on their own.
On a third note, Vladimir and Estragon, and Meursault share have many resemblances.