Pairings in Waiting for Godot

Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play, meaning that it focuses on the experiences of
characters in a situation where they cannot find any inherent purpose in life, most often
represented by ultimately meaningless actions. In order to start discussion about pairings in
the play and why is everything paired except Godot, we need to analyse characters.
Waiting for Godot is full of duality, as the two acts of the play itself there are
Vladimir and Estragon, the two thieves, the Boy and his brother, Pozzo and Lucky, Cain and
Abel. Even the tone of Waiting for Godot is filled with duality: two person arguments,
back-and-forth questions, disagreement-agreement, questions and (often inadequate)
answers. It is truly interesting how paired they are in the play. If one lacks something, the
other has it. They are so different but yet so perfect for each other. Perhaps most important is
that these men have very different types of intelligence; Vladimir is the more intellectual,
Estragon the more emotional. Vladimir tries to function on a logical base, Estragon has
clearly given that up long ago. Thus we can say that they cannot exist without each other,
because one represents body and one mind.
Both pairs depict strong connection, in which they could not work without each another,
meaning that Valdimir and Estragon get along and Pozzo and Lucky are slave and master so
of course slave must obey and thus complement each other. Pozzo and Lucky are a pair
which complement each other. Pozzo symbolizes the sadist; Lucky the masochist.
Materialistic man rejecting and suppressing his spiritual and cultural side. Pozzo needs Lucky,
and even so, he is dying and withering.
Both pairs struggle with the question of whether they are better with or without each other,
and neither comes to any sort of real conclusion.
These are facts of their relationship and pairing. The relationship between Vladimir (Didi)
and Estragon (Gogo) are:
Interdependent: they are waiting for Godot and suffer "humanity" together.
Human like: Estragon (Gogo) represents human body because he always wants to eat and
sleep; Vladimir (Didi) represents human mind because he is rational.
Savior- survivor: Vladimir saved Estragon from Rhone fifty years ago.
Teacher/student, leader/follower, boss/servant, head (mind)/body relationship
Interchangeable: they always exchange/switch lines (and hat). They are like one person.
Some critics have suggested that Vladimir and Estragon remain together because of their
complementary personalities, arguing that each fulfils the qualities that the other lacks,
rendering them dependent on each other.
Also another pairing if we can call is a boy who appears in the play, but we may not be
certain if its the same boy because both boys act the same polite.
As said in the essay every pair in the play has connection and cannot function without
each another, whether one is intelligent and one is not they seem to fulfil each another like
two sides of one coin.

Reference:
- Waiting for Godot, A Brief Overview,
(wtp://www.ibiblio.org/schools/rls/garner/britishlit/overview.pdf)
- Waiting for Godot, (http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/iacd_2003S/c_20th_lit/godot.htm)
- WHO IS WAITING FOR GODOT ABOUT, ANYWAY?, (http://www.samuelbeckett.net/Penelope/Godot.html)