“The inaction is integral to Beckett’s despair vision” Explain the relationship between Beckett’s dystopia and his portrayal of inactivity.
Hamm is satisfied in his pursuit of meaning after realising that searching for it is pointless. Inaction can be interpreted as a limitation of the person’s physical and mental abilities. Beckett believes that humanity would be in a dystopia if neither of these aspects were to progress.
Endgame, as Absurdist Theatre, reveals the futility of searching for meaning in life. Hamm is able to discover meaning through the pursuit of his goal. In contrast, pursuit implies a constant state of motion, which is the opposite of inaction. Hamm’s rejection of the prospect inaction is reinforced by this. He shows his passion by exclaiming “we breath, we change!” Hamm wants a natural state that isn’t changing and “still green”, despite the fact that he has lost his hair, teeth, etc. Hamm wants to get to the place where he is no longer physically confined. This is “down in a hole”.
Hamm also speaks of the “current that will take us faraway”; this “current” moves constantly, symbolising a character’s search for meaning. However, because it is a “current”, the character will never arrive at their destination. Hamm does not accept his wheelchair because it limits his movement. Clov’s “brief smile” during the play’s introduction reveals Hamm to be a pitiful character because of his blindness. Hamm is motionless, which is a part of the play dealing with dystopia and despair. But Hamm’s repeated attempts to keep moving in his wheelchair during the play are a source of admiration. Hamm tells Clov that he cannot move using the gaff and to “oil his castors”. Hamm does not acknowledge his inaction, even though he has failed to use the gaff. He instead tries again. He understands that, “the end is just the beginning”, but “you have to keep going”. Hamm asking Clov to put him in the middle is also a scene that involves constant motion. Hamm, rather than accept his position in the center, continues to ask Clov for him to be moved “a tiny bit left”, then “a tiny bit right”. Hamm’s desire for constant motion has an amusing effect on the audience. The dystopia that Hamm is speaking of seems comical in comparison.
Hamm represents Beckett’s writing voice. This voice is one that believes action, be it physical or psychological, is essential to preventing the soul from becoming trapped in a dystopia. Endgame is set in a post World War II time period. For some, this was a time of despair and stagnation. Endgame, being Absurdist Theatre, is not written to entertain the audience and escape their despair. It asks the audience instead to confront their dystopia through inactivity. Beckett gives Hamm’s character as an example. Hamm’s “bottling”, or repression, of Nagg and Nell, his representatives of memories, allows him to advance mentally, despite his physical immobility. Hamm uses stories to describe action, despite his suffering. Examples include the man that “came crawling to me”, sun “sinking into the dead”, and dragging the madman “to the window”. Hamm has a strange tendency to repress his memories, Nagg & Nell, despite the fact their speech is full of movement, as in “crashing our tandem”. Hamm perceives that this will slow down his mental development. Hamm’s decision to throw away his memories into the “garbage cans” where Nagg and Nell live is an indication of Hamm’s desire to keep moving forward rather than be mentally trapped in the old. Beckett’s message is that, when viewed in reality, the war may have ended, and that dwelling on the past would only lead to a feeling of stagnancy. This will ultimately keep us in dystopia.
Absurdists are known to use cycles as a way of expressing their absurdist ideas. A dystopia is by definition a place of despair. Beckett’s “throwing a whistle into the crowd” shows that it is not just the characters who are on stage that suffer from this condition, but the entire audience. But hope is a necessary part of this infinite cycle. It is possible for despair and optimism to resonate together when in a cyclical state. Clov rejects Hamm’s desire to kiss him, or to give his hand. But, he fulfils the hope for death of the rat – “If it doesn’t die, I won’t”. This means that, if Clov fails to “finish it”, the rat is bound to continue suffering. If the characters are trapped in an inaction position, they’ll be forever stuck in despair.
Although cycles make it impossible to arrive at a specific destination, characters are still able find meaning through the search for meaning. The play seems to blur the lines between day and night. The play is a dystopia where time has been removed. Yesterday has become “that awful bloody day before that awful bloody day” and today has become “that awful bloody day before that awful bloody day”; a series of inactive, meaningless “endless rituals”. Clov’s view outside the window is always “nothing” or “zero”. Hamm’s request for Clov to gaze “at the sea” is a good indication that “zero” and “nothing”, although they may not be literal, do not necessarily mean there is no scenery outside. Clov replies that nothing has changed outside the room. Nature has become inactive, according to their opinion, which confirms Clov’s dejected comment, “there is no nature.”
Hamm shows that Clov is not without hope. The nature has slowed down, but we can still breathe and change. We change, we grow old, and our surroundings don’t matter. It is the characters that are the ones who continue the cycle. Hamm’s optimism and Clov’s desperation are a perfect combination. Beckett says that even though the environment may seem stagnant, so long as you keep moving forward, dystopia can be avoided. Clov replies to Hamm that “I don’t know if it will end soon.” Hamm said that he was afraid of the future.
Dystopias are often associated with inaction and stagnancy. Beckett viewed it as a situation where neither physical or mental progress is possible. Although the theme of Absurdist Theatre is that all attempts to find meaning in life are futile, hope can still be generated as long as there is movement, whether it be physical or mental.
