Explain Title waiting for Barbarians with reference to waiting For Gotod

Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar UniversityDepartment of English

Name: Baldaniya Vanita

Class: M. A. Part-2

Semester: 4

Paper: 14The African Literature.

Guidance By: Heenaba Zala

Two Novel

Waiting for Godot• Author: Samuel Beckett

• Language: French

• Date of Publication: 1953

Waiting for barbarian• Author: J.M. Coetzee

• Language: English

• Genre: Novel

• Publication date: 1980

Waiting for Barbarian About him• The family mainly spoke English

at home, but John spoke Afrikaans with other relatives. He is descended from early Dutch immigrants to South Africa in the 17th century, while his mother was a descendant of German and Polish immigrants.

J. M. Coetzee

About the Waiting for Barbarian • A magistrate in charge of administering the law in a colonial town

witnesses the torture of the invaded indigenous population. The colony or the place is unspecified. Most characters have no names, although the circumstances surrounding the events indicate that the colony is South Africa while the barbarians indicate the black population. The magistrate is of unspecified age although he refers to himself as approaching retirement. At first loyal and dutiful the magistrate becomes skeptical about the legal system he represents. He questions its effectiveness, but if he were to leave his successor could be more ruthless.

• The magistrate is content with his life until the investigation to examine the alleged barbarian uprising occurs. Colonel Joll is sent to establish the extent of danger that the barbarians, who live behind the border may pose to the colony. He captures natives to extract information from them about any uprising. Colonel Joll's methods to obtain evidence is by torture. How effective such methods may be is questionable even for the magistrate.

• The magistrate meets one of the victims of these interrogations, a young girl, on the street. She was abandoned by her people when they were released from prison. The magistrate, partly attracted to the girl and partly feeling responsible for the torture inflicted on her, offers her work in his house.

• He examines her injuries, washes her, and takes care of her. Despite his good intentions towards her he becomes confused about his feelings for her. He is attracted to her and tries to inspire the same feelings in her. Their relationship lacks mutual understanding of each other. They often fail to communicate what they feel towards each other. Their confusion leads to frustration. The magistrate goes back to having sex with his previous casual partner. His frustration grows, however, both with himself and with the girl. He decides to take her back to her own people.

Upon his return the magistrate is imprisoned for the alleged conspiracy with barbarians, becoming the victim of the system he once represented himself. He is kept in prison without trial, tortured, and eventually released. After a mock-up execution he is set free, but not allowed to work he leads the life of a vagrant and a beggar.

The army sent to fight the barbarians is trapped and left to die in the desert without food and water. The remaining soldier’s loot the town, leaving it exposed to attacks. Those who were to protect the town now engage in crime themselves. Even those in charge become corrupt, choosing the support of their soldiers over what is right.

The magistrate eventually regains his previous position. Together with the inhabitants he devises various means of protection, where they fake the presence of soldiers. Peace returns, but the magistrate has many regrets about the past, realizing his mistakes while feeling ashamed about the treatment of the barbarians. He realizes he is unable to provide a historical account of what happened. The reality of life on the frontier is to live through seasons and cycles rather than events with beginnings and ends. A historical account would fail to express his admiration for the place he considers a paradise on earth.

Waiting for GodotSamuel Bucket

About him• Samuel Barclay Beckett ( 13 April

1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theater director, and poet, who lived in Paris for most of his adult life and wrote in both English and French. He is widely regarded as among the most influential writers of the 20th century.

About The Waiting for Godot• The play opens on an outdoor scene of two bedraggled companions:

the philosophical Vladimir and the weary Estragon who, at the moment, cannot remove his boots, from his aching feet, finally muttering,

• Vladimir takes up the thought loftily. While Estragon vaguely recall having been beaten the night before. Finally, his boots come off, while the repair ramble and biker pointlessly.

“Nothing to be done”

• Vladimir reminds to Estragon that we waiting for Godot..

• This above dialogue repeat more time…

They have full day wait of Godot… but Godot not come…• They speculate on the potential rewards of continuing to wait for

Godot, but can come to no definite conclusion.

• When Estragon declares his hunger, Vladimir provides a carrot, at which Estragon idly gnaws, loudly reiterating his boredom.

• Lucky and Pozzo come.. (relation between Master and Slave)

Boy come… Vladimir say something question about Godot… Boy give answer of question …yes sir, No sir,.

Full day wait but Godot never come..

Waiting For Godot• Nothing to be done…• Wait of godot but godot never

come.• Who is Godot…• Why wait of Godot.

Waiting for Barbarian• Why other people not cross of

border.• magistrate why make a servant

of street young girl. And why he physical relation with young girl.• Joll always wait of Barbarian then

why Barbarian is not come..? So that is some thing that never they have come.

Wait for Godot or barbarian But they have never come… But that is symbolized that they have not wait for any person or people but they have wait for death…