American University of Science and Technology

Vladimir: Tell Him That You Saw Me

Research Paper by Nour Assi

Introduction to English Literature ENG210

Dr. Fida Abi Karam

January 20, 2021

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Outline:

1. Introduction.

2. Who is Vladimir?

3. What makes Vladimir feel that he’s not recognized?

4. How does Vladimir express his need to be recognized?

5. Conclusion.

Introduction:

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett is a French play that sheds the light on two main

characters, Vladimir and Estragon, who spend their time having random conversations as they

wait for a character named Godot. Neither of the two guys know who this person is- nor does the

audience- but Vladimir counts on Godot’s arrival to carry on with hope and a purpose for living.

The title says it all, basically.

Many researches have been done trying to analyze the whole message behind the play.

However, one important theme that these researches are missing is the misrecognition of

humanity and how it affects the characters. This is very well reflected in Vladimir’s character

through his actions and words. We’ll go in depth with this topic in this essay.

Vladimir’s Character:

Vladimir, also referred to as Didi or Mr. Albert, is one of the two main characters of “Waiting

for Godot”, the other being his friend Estragon. In the play, Vladimir is the one in control of

most of what these two characters end up doing. That is because he is the more responsible and
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mature one of the two characters (Gizem Balta, 3). Being the less intelligent side of the pair,

Estragon relies on whatever Vladimir tells him about in order to go on with his life. Vladimir is

the one with not only a better memory, but also a better intellectual level. This is very clear in

Act I, when he requests to listen to what Lucky has to say, whereas Estragon only wants to see

him dance. From here, it is clear Vladimir is in fact the more sophisticated, mature character in

the play.

Vladimir’s words and actions don’t just reflect how smart he is. They also show how much

pride he’s got and how much he values himself regardless of whether or not people acknowledge

his worth. This is what makes him different. In many scenes of the play, Vladimir’s thoughts are

so slept on by the rest of the characters. The fact that he remains unnoticed does trigger him

every now and then. For that, it is necessary to study and analyze this character very closely.

What makes Vladimir feel that he’s not seen?

Throughout the play, many incidents occur in which Vladimir feels as if his existence does not

matter. Very frequently do we see that proved by Estragon, Vladimir’s closest friend and the

only person who matters to him. Unfortunately, though, Estragon’s memory is not the best. It’s

not that Vladimir does not matter to him, it’s just that he’s not always certain about what did and

did not happen. For that reason, he constantly forgets about the time he and Vladimir spend

together. We can see this situation in Act II of the play when Vladimir tries to remind Estragon

of the events of the previous day, but in despair:

VLADIMIR: Yes of course it was there. Do you not remember? We nearly hanged

ourselves from it. But you wouldn't. Do you not remember?

ESTRAGON: You dreamt it.

VLADIMIR: Is it possible you've forgotten already?

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ESTRAGON: That's the way I am. Either I forget immediately or I never forget.

In addition to Estragon’s forgetfulness, one other thing about him that makes Vladimir feel

unwanted is Estragon’s suggestion that they part ways. This occurs more than once in Act II of

the play:

VLADIMIR: You must be happy too, deep down, if you only knew it.

ESTRAGON: Happy about what?

VLADIMIR: To be back with me again.

ESTRAGON: Would you say so?

VLADIMIR: Say you are, even if it's not true.

Missing claims that it’s almost like Vladimir is the only one holding on to this friendship, even

though in many times, Estragon wouldn’t have survived without him. Despite that though,

Estragon repetitively suggests they split apart and carry on with their lives without one another

(18). Even when Estragon is straightforward about his opinion, Vladimir still finds a way to

prove him wrong and make it seem as if Estragon is the one that needs this friendship more than

he does. He never directly admits that the one that’s in desperate need of the other is in fact

himself. He convinces himself that it’s the other way around so that he doesn’t feel the bitterness

of being unwanted:

ESTRAGON: It'd be better if we parted.

VLADIMIR: You always say that and you always come crawling back.

Other than Estragon, Vladimir is also forgotten by two more characters of the play: Pozzo and

the messenger boy. Pozzo is a wealthy man that Vladimir and Estragon meet in Act I. Although

Pozzo doesn’t recognize them, Vladimir claims that they’ve known each other before, and when

he fails to prove that, he once again uses the same mechanism he does to avoid the fact that he’s
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unwanted and unnoticed: he convinces himself that Pozzo is just pretending that he’s forgotten

him:

VLADIMIR: We know them, I tell you. You forget everything. (Pause. To himself.)

Unless they're not the same . . .

ESTRAGON: Why didn't they recognize us then?

VLADIMIR: That means nothing. I too pretended not to recognize them. And then

nobody ever recognizes us. (42,43)

In that part of the play, Vladimir was the only one claiming he and Pozzo have met before.

Although none of the characters believe him, it didn’t bother him as much as it did later on in

Act II. When Pozzo reappears in Act II, he once again fails to recognize Vladimir and Estragon.

At first, Vladimir gets relieved knowing that it’s due to Pozzo’s blindness which he’s just found

out about. However, Pozzo then adds that he simply doesn’t remember anything about the

previous day, meaning that even if he were to see Vladimir, he still wouldn’t recognize him.

POZZO: Who are you?

VLADIMIR: Do you not recognize us?

POZZO: I am blind.

VLADIMIR: We met yesterday. (Silence.) Do you not remember?

POZZO: I don't remember having met anyone yesterday. But tomorrow I won't remember

having met anyone today. So don't count on me to enlighten you.

This is what frustrates Vladimir, and could be the reason to why he hesitates to help Pozzo

later on in the play.

How does Vladimir express his need to be seen?

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One scene in Act II includes Pozzo who was struggling to get back up after stumbling along

with his helper, Lucky. Author Ciaran Ross analyzes the situation stating that “It is as if Pozzo is

being punished in the second act for his kind of insincere rhetoric repeated by Vladimir: ‘those

cries for help.’” (46). Pozzo’s repetitive miserable calls for help make Vladimir feel needed and

recognized for the first time since almost forever. That is why he goes back and forth deciding

whether or not they should help him. He was pleased by Pozzo’s desperate need for his help:

VLADIMIR: …It is not every day that we are needed. Not indeed that we personally are

needed. Others would meet the case equally well, if not better. To all mankind they were

addressed, those cries for help still ringing in our ears! But at this place, at this moment

of time, all mankind is us, whether we like it or not. Let us make the most of it, before it

is too late! Let us represent worthily for once the foul brood to which a cruel fate

consigned us!

Besides taking advantage of Pozzo’s helpless case, Vladimir also expresses his need to be

recognized by constantly waking Estragon up from his sleep because he “felt lonely” (9).

The entire theory of Vladimir’s longing to be recognized remains somewhat vague, until the very

last scenes of the play, more precisely, Vladimir’s last meeting with the messenger boy. When it

comes to dealing with the messenger boy in Act II, it becomes very clear that Vladimir is

seriously offended by the fact that people barely recognize him. Despite having met Vladimir in

Act I, the boy claims he’s never seen him before which stresses Vladimir out and causes him to

aggressively grab the little boy’s shoulders and yell at him. Vladimir finally ends his

conversation with the boy by saying, this time with a violent tone rather than a gentle request,

“…tell him you saw me and that …that you saw me. You're sure you saw me, you won't come

and tell me tomorrow that you never saw me!”.

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Conclusion:

After carefully studying Vladimir’s character and analyzing his actions, it is clear that out of all

the characters of “Waiting for Godot”, he is the one that mostly values dignity and humanity. He

refuses to remain unnoticed and ignored. Although at times, he might have overreacted to the

forgetfulness of other characters, this showed how much respect he has to himself. For that, it is

necessary to shed the light on this character since it perfectly embodies one of the most important

yet ignored themes of the play: humanity’s need for recognition.

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Works Cited

Balta, Gizem. "Character Analysis Waiting for Godot." Web. 19 Jan. 2021.

<https://www.academia.edu/43961815/Character_Analysis_Waiting_for_Godot>.

Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot: Tragicomedy in 2 Acts. New York: Grove Press, 1954.

Print. 16 Jan. 2021.

Missing, Lisa. " A Psychoanalytic Reading of Vladimir and Estragon.” 2007. Web. 18 Jan. 2021.

<https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.diva-

portal.org/smash/get/diva2:518267/FULLTEXT01.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEphAwq3_31IbpGQQl

CVC2rQvRC4g>.

Ross, Ciaran. "“Where Do We Come In?” Responding to Otherness in Waiting for Godot",

Études anglaises, vol. volume 59, no. 1, 2006, pp. 75-90. 17 Jan. 2021.