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A STUDY OF WAITING FOR GODOT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF

DEFAMILIARIZATION TECHNIQUE
Ahire Sudhakar Lahu
Research scholar
Dept. of English, SP Pune University,
Pune
Abstract:
The present study is an attempt to see the aspects of defamalirization in the play Waiting for Godot.
Defamilirization is an artistic technique of the 20th century. It has been framed by Victor Shklovsky in his essay
Art as Technique. Defamiliarization is artful aspect of a work that makes the reader alert and alive; it causes
the reader to intensity the attention paid to the text, to look again at an image in an effort to take in the
unexpected.
Though the play has absurd form and structure, the form and features of the play are close to Defamiliarization.
It is a term coined by the Russian Formalists especially Victor Shklovsky, to refer to the artful aspect of a work
that, by awaking the familiar seem strange, awaken the reader to new experiments and understandings. They
change a readers perception of even an ordinary object so that he seems to be seeing it as if for the first time.
In this paper, the researcher has restricted himself to an enquiry into the Defamiliarization aspects in the
present play of Samuel Beckett. The characters, plot, setting, language etc, have been analyzed in the present
paper of the play. Therefore, it is necessary to throw light on defamiliarization in Waiting for Godot.
Key Words: Defamiliarization, Alienation, Characters, language, Plot, Setting etc.

Introduction: Defamiliarization is a
mobile and umbrella term. It is applicable
to literary and non-literary phenomena. As
Victor Shklovsky puts in his essay, Art as
Technique,
I personally feel that Defamiliarization is
found almost everywhere form is found.2
So defamiliarization can be observed in
language, literature, film, music, art,
architecture, media and technology, and so
on. Defamiliarization is a foreign effect.
To use defamiliarization is a kind of
technique or art which is really interesting.
Anything can be defamiliarized. To make
anything unfamiliar is a skill which can be
acquired. It has no fix frame and structure,
because todays unfamiliar thing will be
tomorrows
familiar
thing.
Defamiliarization differs from person to
person and situation to situation. It does not
follow traditional way of expression.
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A similar technique deployed in drama

is alienation effect introduced by Bertolt
Brecht in his Epic Theatre(1920), to
disrupt the passive complacency of the
audience and force critical analysis of
art as well as the world .
The aim of the present study is to analyse
Waiting for Godot from the perspective of
defamiliarization. It is an absurd play. It
has been written by well-known twentieth
Century playwright Samuel Becekett. It is
very famous play of twentieth century.
There are various schools of drama. The
general trends of writing drama established
during the thirties continued in the post war
years. At the same time the topical subject
matter as well as techniques were changed.
During the mid 1950s, the great flowering
of English drama took place and the drama
became the dominant literary form. The
twentieth century dramatists made different
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experiments and innovations in form,

content, and style of drama. And these
absurd dramatists found courage to shock
their audience. The absurd form of the
present play came on the stage after the
Second World War. And the artistic
technique, defamiliarization is introduced
before this form of the play. The point is
here that the playwright might have been
influenced by this technique. So
researchers main aim is to show that
defamiliarization is applicable to the play
Waiting for Godot.
Waiting for Godot is framed in fragmented
structure and style that place the play in
new light. The most striking feature of the
play is its innovative formal design.
Beckett has used the modernist experiments
in form and style. Artistic means used in it
are integral to the formal design of the play.
There is innovation in presentation of plot,
characters, dramatic speech, setting and so
on. Becketts Waiting for Godot took the
world of European Theatre by storm. The
philosophic and religious implications of
the play are obscure. The play neither has
conventional plot nor character; Actions
have dwindled into the decision to wait.
The setting is bare road where two tramps
are waiting for a certain mister Godot. As a
night suddenly falls a boy gives a message
that Mr. Godot will not come. The same
happens in both acts in the play and the
play ends here. All these things have been
defamiliarized in such a manner that what
happens in the play seems meaningless.
There are many meaningful things, which
are made unfamiliar. So the present drama
goes far beyond the common understanding
corresponding to the dramatics of
defamiliarization. There are some factors in
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the play that generate and control this

defamiliarization.
Defamiliarization
in
Waiting
for
Godot:The play Waiting for Godot is a
masterpiece of Samuel Beckett. It has been
researched through many perspectives since
it has been written or performed on the
stage. Beckett has used the modernist
experiments in form and style. All these
things have been defamiliarized in such a
manner that what happens in the play
seems meaningless. There are many
meaningful things, which are made
unfamiliar. So the present drama goes far
beyond the common understanding
corresponding to the dramatics of
defamiliarization
Plot/Structure: While analyzing the plot
or structure of the play, Waiting for Godot,
the researcher has come across that Beckett
has used anti-conventional form of the
play. He was a modern play writer; hence,
he has used modern experiments,
techniques and form of the period. So the
plot or structure of the play is quiet strange
and difficult from that of traditional form of
the play. In the play there are only two acts.
One important thing is that the second act is
quiet repetitive of the earlier plot of the
play. The whole play can be framed in one
act or plot. There might be no need of the
second plot, yet Beckett has presented the
play in two plots. It apparently doesnt
symbolize anything. All these things or
elements of the play make play difficult to
understand. So it can be said that there is
defamiliarization on the level of plot of the
play. The plot of Waiting for Godot has
been called parallel and circular. There are
two acts, each made of four identical
sections. In the play Estragon and Vladimir
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are alone; Pozzo and Lucky arrive and

depart. A messenger arrives and departs.
Estragon and Vladimir are alone and this is
continuing to the IInd act without variation.
Waiting for Godot is perfectly parallel. In
this regard, the structure is circular.
Repetition or paradigm is primarily
dominant in the play.
Characters: In the present play there are
seven characters created by Samuel
Beckett. The characters have been
presented in such a manner which creates
difficulty in understanding them. Beckett
has not used traditional method of
characterization in the play. The
characterization in the play is the best
example of defamiliarization. All the
characters of the play have been analyzed
and explained from the perspective of
defamiliarization. As we talk about the
characterization in Waiting for Godot we
come to know that there is no significance
of the characters throughout the play,
because all characters havent performed
any meaningful role. Their actions dont
contribute to enhance readers lives.
Actually it has meaning, but Samuel
Beckett has presented all the characters in a
way that all seem meaningless and strange
like plot of the play. In the play, Godot is
central character. Without Godot the play
cannot run further but, Godot is an absent
character in whole play. Godot is unseen
for whom Vladimir and Estragon are
waiting. All that is known about Godot is
that he has goatherds and shepherds and a
long white beard. He does nothing all day,
and has asked the triumphs to meet him by
the tree on Saturday. He remains only
imaginary figure. We are not sure about the
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existence of Godot. Hence, many questions

have been raised on the existence of Godot.
In the play there are the two pairs of
characters. Vladimir and Estragon is the
first pair of the characters. All the things,
which they performed in the play seem
unfamiliar to audience. The relationship
between Vladimir and Estragon is not clear.
Both the characters are dependable to each
other. They quarreled many times in the
play, yet nobody departs. There are such
many things of the characters, which create
confusion in the play the readers. There is
another pair of the characters, Pozzo and
Lucky. There is variation between their
names and roles of all characters. Pozzo is
introduced in the play as a slave driver.
Lucky is presented more like a clown than
a person; he is a dog doing tricks for his
master, stripped of dignity and autonomy.
His very name mocks the misfortune that is
his life. He carries baggage and never
putting it down. He carries it willingly and
whole heartedly. In the play we see, Pozzo
later suddenly becomes blind and Lucky
becomes mute. He is led around by a rope.
How this happens all remains mysterious to
readers. There is Marxist relationship
between Lucky and Pozzo. They behave
like animals too. There is dehumanization.
Setting: In the chapter there is
defamiliarization in the setting of the play.
It has been explained and discussed in
details. It has been noticed that like plot.
Samuel Beckett did not use conventional
setting for the play. The present setting of
the play is not convincing to reader. It does
not make any sense. We are never really
sure whether act I and act II place in the
same location, other than the fact that
Beckett described it as if on the stage. We
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also dont know what lies off stage, since

Vladimir and Estragon are always forced
back on to the stage in some form or
another. Depending on the design of a
production, the set is more or less ornate.
Sometimes there is literally nothing else as
a stage is supposed to represent on stage
than actors and tree. The effect of Beckets
minimally described set is that we shave
obviously no idea where Vladimir and
Estragon are either in time or in place.
Readers become alienated with the setting.
The tree has shown in the play is not
recognizable to us. There are many
uncertainties of the setting.
Also note the fact that the two men are on a
road together. Where does this road lead?
The presence of the tree and a rock of some
sort are apparently impotent. This way
there is defamiliarization in the setting of
the play.
Language:Language as a theatrical tool is
essentially symbolic. It carries a lot of
significant meanings because of its multiple
faces in usage. But what can be found in
the present play is totally different. Because
the language used by the dramatist has no
meaning. In the present play language is
only used as a means to pass time.
Becketts language is always ambiguous. In
Waiting for Godot the conversation
between the characters seems to be devoid
of meaning. There is no clear meaning in it.
The characters made silent. So in the play
silences and pauses have been noticed. In
the play there is no logic and sequence
between dialogue and actions of the
characters. Audience gets bored with

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language and dialogue used in the play.

Common readers are unable to reach at
philosophical meaning of the play and
language used in the play. This way there is
linguistic defamiliarization in the play. This
has been explained in the chapter.
In short Becketts play Waiting for Godot is
rich with multiple possibilities of meaning
and fresh insights created by the use of
defamiliarization technique. The difficulties
found by readers or viewers in
understanding the play can be eliminated
once we understand what defamiliarization
is and how it is used in Waiting for Godot.
Conclusion: In this paper the researcher
has tried to prove that defamiliarization is
found in characters, setting, plot, language
and so on of the play. This is an honest
attempt that the play represents nothing.
The nothing and uncertainty of the play
creates confusion in readers minds. These
things cause audience to stay away from
the play. Audiences do not feel empathy
with the characters and with the whole
theme of the play. It has been intentionally
done in the play. So the play achieves
alienation effect. The playwright has used
alienation effect in the play. .
Defamiliarization is achieved in style,
structure, theme and so on are presented in
strange and unfamiliar way; as large as that
presentation causes the reader to slow
down, reconsider and actively/ creatively
think about what he is reading. The goal of
defamiliarization is to provoke the reader to
be more thoughtful and active in thinking
and reading. It has been practiced in the
play.

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Bibliography:
Primary Sources
Beckeet, Samuel. Waiting For Godot, London: Faber and Faber, 1965.
Secondary Sources:
Abbot, H. Porter. Beckett Writing Beckett: The Author in the Autograph, Ithaca: Cornell University
Press, 1996.
Baker, Phil. Samuel Beckett and the Mythology of Psychoanalysis, London: Macmillan, 1997
Began, Richard. Samuel Beckett and the End of Modernity, Stanford: University Press, 1996.
Ben-Zvi, Linda. Samuel Beckett, Boston: Twanye, 1986.
Birkett, Jennifer, Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett, London: Macmillan, 1987.
Bradly, David. Beckett: Waiting For Godot: Plays in Production, Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2001.
Brater, Enoch, Why Beckett, London: Thames and Hudson, 1989.
Coe, Richard N. Samuel Beckett, New York: Grove Press, 1964.

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