Chance plays a major role in Samuel Beckett"s tragic comedy "Waiting for Godot". In human life, chance rather than reason is the main influence on our lives. According to Beckett, life of humans is completely dependent on chance and as a result of this time would be meaningless. Chance has an impact on the value of time and it is also the underlying factor behind existence. .

             In "Waiting for Godot" it is suggested that existence is based on chance and by extension, human life is based on chance. Beckett established this very early on in the play. "One of the thieves was saved. It"s a reasonable percentage" (Beckett, 5). Vladimir here refers to the parable of the two thieves from the Bible. Perhaps Beckett"s intended means that the fate of humans is determined randomly. There is an unknown percentage chance that one will be damned. There is no pattern behind it all and one does not know how big the chances of being damned or saved are. Therefor one can say that a life based on chance has no meaning. .

             Salvation is determined by chance as well. According to the Gospel the hour disciples of Jesus were present during his crucifixion and saw the two thieves, which were crucified with Jesus, being saved or damned. All four disciples were present, but only two of them states that something out of ordinary happened. ".how is it- this is not boring you I hope- how is it that of the four Evangelists only one speaks of a thieve being saved. The four of them were there- or thereabouts- and only one speaks of a thieve being saved" (Beckett, 6). One of the two said that only one of the thieves was damned, while the other said that both thieves were banned. It might not seem of great importance, but does he chance for salvation not vary a great deal here? If all thieves were saved, then chances for salvation would be a hundred percent, but if three of the four thieves were damned, chances of salvation would be no more than twenty-five percent.