The Representation of Anacoluthon in Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

Year 2017, Volume: 21 Issue: 1, 1 - 17, 20.03.2017

Dilek Tüfekçi Can

Abstract

An absurdist play entitled Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
(1906-1989) has had received many interpretations and criticism covering a wide
range of issues since its first premiere in 1953 in the Théâtre de Babylone,
Paris. The play offers varying approaches for appreciating the significance of
historical context in interpretation as well as the relevance of linguistic and
unconscious components of the text. For instance, the play is interpreted in
term of politics, religion, psychoanalytic, homoerotic and philosophical
approaches among many others. However, the play is not examined in relation to
the functions of ‘anacoluthon’, a linguistic term which can generally be
defined as an unexpected discontinuity or disjointedness in the expression of
ideas within a sentence by giving rise to a form of words in which there is
logical incoherence of thought. Accordingly, in this paper firstly the
demarcations between ‘language’ and ‘culture’ are exposed briefly as both of
the conceptions are heavily dealt with the term ‘anacoluthon’. Secondly,
anacoluthon is elucidated in terms of its use and function with reference to
its historical context. However, the main purpose of this paper is to unveil
the functions of anacoluthon by making a classification and also to expose
intra-textual functions of anacoluthon by exemplifying the discourses in order
to shed light into the psychological situations of the characters and
figurative meaning of the play.

Keywords

Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot, anacoluthon, language

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