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 o

Due to the arbitrary nature of life there is a human tendency to look for meaning amongst random events. Vladimir and Estragon make an attempt to remain oblivious to the fact that life is meaningless. They try to distract themselves by arguing, talking to Lucky and Pozzo, and sleeping. Their reason for hanging on to Godot is simple. Godot gives them a reason for living, but Godot might not even exist. They rely in him to solve their problems and offer them a better life. As long as they believe in Godot's existence and that he will appear someday, they have a reason to go on and not hang themselves. "Ah Gogo, don't go on like that. To-morrow everything will be better" (Beckett, 57). "He said Godot was sure to come to-morrow" (Beckett, 57). Godot is their unknown outside force that gives them hope.

If life is based on chance, humans need to rely on a Godot to give their lives a meaning. Vladimir and Estragon need Godot for that same reason. They need him to cope with their meaningless lives. No one, including Vladimir and Estragon, knows if Godot actually exists or if he will ever appear. However, it does not matter. Their believe in him gives them a meaning, a reason to live for, which is all they ask for. "What are we doing here, that is the question. And we are blessed in this, that we happen to know the answer. Yes, in this immense confusion one thing alone is clear. We are waiting for Godot to come" (Beckett, 91). Vladimir is saying that Godot is the only one that makes sense in this big confusion and as long as they can rely on him to come, they have a reason for living.

Because time is based on chance and is thus meaningless, life is arbitrarily and meaningless as well. Pozzo and Lucky are a perfect example of this. On the first day Pozzo is healthy and complaining about his slave Lucky, who is getting old and not as strong and entertaining as he used to be. As Pozzo said "He used to dance the farandole, the fling, the brawl, the jig, the fandango and even the hornpipe. He capered. For joy. Now that's the best he can do" (Beck

Some common words found in the essay are:
Waiting Godot, According Gospel, Beckett Pozzo's, Pozzo Lucky, Vladimir Pozzo, Vladimir Estragon, Fortune Beckett, Neither Vladimir, Estragon Godot, Bible Beckett's, based chance, waiting godot, life based, life based chance, human life, vladimir estragon, beckett 9, human life based, beckett 57 godot, thieve saved, day blind, thieves saved, questions pozzo, to-morrow beckett 57, vladimir estragon godot,
Approximate Word count = 1384
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)