Samuel Beckett: Sound and Silence Essay Example

well as the silent films of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, all of which would have an influence on his future writings.

After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree from Trinity College in 1927, Beckett travelled to France, and was introduced to James Joyce, who was enjoying the success and fame of his books Ulysses, and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The two men became friends, with much in common, including the rhyme and rhythm of words themselves. Joyce proved to be a great influence on Beckett. It was during this time that Beckett published his first short story, “Assumption” (1929) and his first award winning poem in “Whoroscope” in 1930, winning 10 pounds from The Hours Press.

In 1931 Beckett returned to Dublin, where he penned a novel, which was later re-released in the series of stories, More Pricks Than Kicks in 1934. He took a job as an instructor at Campbell College, Belfast, but the job turned out to be an ill-fated and short job. Beckett turned out to be a harsh critic of his student’s work, and graded them accordingly, which drew many complaints and soon admonishment from the headmaster. When told that the students represented the best of what Belfast had to offer, Beckett only allowed that they were “rich and thick.

On a more famous note was his admission of a paper to the Modern Languages Society allegedly written by the French poet Jean du Chas, on the Concentricism movement, which several of the Society backed, vowing for du Chas’ relevance. Beckett had invented the entire movement, the paper and the author. This type of

thing led to Beckett’s removal from instructing, and his disdain for the teaching profession as a whole. Given how the “experts” treated a work of complete fiction, it also foreshadowed his own disregard of critics later in life.

These years also started the estrangement of Beckett from his mother, which would become a source from which his writings would draw from for years to come. Indeed, his novel Dream of Fair to Midling Women is widely regarded as very autobiographical, and began the development of Beckett’s unique writing style. After wandering for much of this period, Beckett settled in Paris by 1937, where he finished and published his work, Murphy. The next major event in his live occurred when he was walking home one night, and was stabbed in the chest by a pimp. The blade narrowly missed Beckett’s heart, and perforated one of his lungs.

James Joyce came to his friend’s side, assigning his personal doctor to care for Beckett. He met his assailant later, who claimed that he did not know why he stabbed Beckett, and said that he was sorry. It was an absurd exchange, to be sure, and many often wonder how much it inspired the young author. During his convalescence, Beckett was cared for by Suzanne Descheveaux-Dumesnil, and she became his lifelong companion, helping him Beckett publish his works, and also shielding him from the prying public.

It was not until 1961 that the two married. During the years of WW II, Beckett joined the resistance in France, nd although he was dismissive of his involvement, the group he was involved with was awarded the Croix de

Guerre in 1945. His period from the end of WWII through the 1950’s is his most prolific, and successful period, where he perfected his style, and wrote his famous books, (although he argued were not a trilogy) Molloy, Malone Dies, and The Unamable. Also, he wrote perhaps his best known work, Waiting for Godot. He continued his playwriting in the 1950’s and 60’s , where his minimalist style brought fame and curiosity. His worldwide acclaim growing, until 1969, when he was awarded The Nobel Prize for Literature.

His reaction in true Absurd style “Quelle catastrophe! " He thought his friend James Joyce should have won the award, and gave the award money to charities, and needy writers. He ultimately passed away on December 22, 1989, after a long battle with Emphysema, following his wife’s death by 6 short months. He is interred in Montparnasse Cemetary in France.

WRITING STYLE AND INFLUENCE

Beckett is known as an absurdist and minimalist, and clearly his first influences were his good friend James Joyce and Proust. The first who helped shape his writing, while he worked with Joyce, and the other whom he studied at great length.

During his early period of writing he exhibited a love of the language, and often tried to express this in his work, which led to a period of only middling success. This period was also highly autobiographical, which led to some of the trouble that he had with his family, and eventually Jungian therapy, which can be found in his works, especially Watt, Waiting for Godot, and All that Fall, which transcribes some of his therapy sessions

almost word for word. His later period of writing can be attributed in a great deal to his decision to write almost entirely in French, a second language.

This caused him to be succinct in his descriptions, and began his work as a minimalist. As he began this style of writing, he started to more and more protest against the norms of writing, eschewing much of what became the model of writing, some even argue to the extent that plot was removed altogether. LEGACY Samuel Beckett’s works, opened the way for many Absurdists. His treatment of theatre in his plays opened the way for other authors to challenge the norms of theatre. He stripped away all other conventions of setting, action and style, and concentrated on the bare minimum of dialogue to carry his story.

Waiting for Godot expresses this in the story of two tramps waiting for a man, Godot, who may or may not arrive. He opened the way for writers to concentrate on the basics, and not feel like they had to be constrained by conventions of accepted literature. His success proved that you could challenge normalacy and still be taken seriously. His courage opened the way for others to challenge literary convention.

CRITICAL REVIEW

Beckett is a master wordsmith, who was able to create his works using a minimal amount of words to do so. He does away with normal trappings and in absurd fashion his characters carry the story. In Waiting for Godot two tramps discuss Godot, a figure who is not even assured to show up. Yet those two characters embody the intellectual and emotional.

The arguments between them reflect this with Vladimir the optimist often taking a brighter view of humanity and Estragon, the emotional, taking a dim view, comparing them to “angry apes. ” While many attribute this to Beckett as being an Existentialist, it truly shows the opposite. Existentialism thrives on the rationale that life begets meaning.

That we are all of us part of a larger meaning. Characters in those works all seek meaning through the absurdity of their situations. Beckett’s work thrive on the fact that the characters seem to realize that their existence is meaningless. His work became more and more minimalistic and absurd as time passed. He began to delve more and more into how little words meant, till his final work, which had no words at all. The silence during a show was far more dramatic than the words, or the space between them, when written. Beckett’s works truly challenged media in a multitude of forms. From essays, to novels, he had the courage to seek his own voice. From theatrical productions to radio, to film, he challenged himself, and eventually his audience to delve into the absurdity of the human condition.