Waiting for Godot

by Samuel Beckett

Waiting for Godot: Similes 2 key examples

Definition of Simile

A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like" or "as," but can also... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often... read full definition
Act 2
Explanation and Analysis—All the Dead Voices:

In a particularly haunting part of the second act, Vladimir and Estragon describe the voices of the dead, which they can both apparently hear. With a series of similes, the two characters together evoke what these voices sound like. Producing a hypnotic effect, this poetic sequence moves the audience to think about the mass destruction and death of the 20th century:

ESTRAGON: All the dead voices.

VLADIMIR: They make a noise like wings.

ESTRAGON: Like leaves.

VLADIMIR: Like sand.

ESTRAGON: Like leaves.

Explanation and Analysis—Pozzo's Blindness:

Overnight, between the first and second acts, Pozzo somehow becomes blind. Pozzo's blindness becomes a motif in the second act, as the characters use allusions and similes to meditate on his lost eyesight. Through the motif, Beckett explores the challenges caused by taking people's statements at face value as well as the discomfort of living life without witnesses.

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