Summary
Horst Breuer. Ordnung und Chaos in Luckys 'Think'
Lucky's speech is probably the most spectacular part of
"Waiting for Godot". It is not just nonsense, verbal
chaos. It does not just symbolize the disorientation of the 20th
century. C. Chadwick (Symposium, 1960, 257): "senseless
torrent of words", "meaningless jumble of words".
Also Werner Habicht in "Neueren Sprachen (1967, p. 59). But
see A. Atkins, "Lucky's Speech in Beckett's 'Waiting for
Godot', in: The Educational Theatre Journal, 1967.
Of course, on stage, Luchy's speech gives the impression of total
dissolution of language and thought. Even before his speech, he
gives the impression of an idiot (as Estragon observes).
Once put into action by an order and putting on his hat, this
animal-man produces like a robot a string of words. Repetitions,
nonsensical sounds stay in the mind of the listener. Then there
are strangely ordered subordinate clauses and "big"
words, enzyclopedic splinters of thought and cliches from
different areas from life. It ends in a struggle between him and
his three listeners until he is silenced by removing his hat.
Luckys' speech is not formlessness but dissolution of form, an
entropic mixture of words.
Three dependent clauses which are the premise for a statement
which never comes.
Part I: Given the existence ....
Part II: and considering what is more that as a result of the
labours left unfinished crowned by the Acacacacademy of
Anthropopopometry ...
Part III: and considering what is more much more grave that in
the light of the labours lost of Steinweg and Petermann ....
Lucky's thought remains a fragment. The result is - silence.
Part I contains the grammatical coherent statement (in bold),
omitting the various inclusions: Given the existence
as uttered forth in the public works of Puncher and Wattmann of
a personal God quaquaquaqua with white beard
quaquaquaqua outside time without extension who
from the heights of divine apathia divine athambia divine aphasia
loves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons
unknown but time will tell and suffers like the
divine Miranda with those who for reasons
unknown but time will tell are plunged in torment plunged
in fire whose fire flames if that continues and who can
doubt it will fire the firmament that is to say blast
hell to heaven so blue still and calm so calm with a
calm which even though intermittent is better than nothing but
not so fast
The speaker assumes a God as his premise, pictured as the
benevolent grandfather with white beard about whom the children
learn in Sunday school and who will be with them the rest of
their lives - even if they rebel against him.
This father-picture is contrasted with the theological construct
empty of real meaning: a being outside time without extension.
Such a being is the opposite of a caring father. Even if it
exists (and whatever it is supposed to mean), it is characterized
by apathy, athamby, and aphasy. And if it cares, many are
excluded of its care. For them, earth is hell. The contrast
between the eternal blue, the calm, peace, and the actual
suffering is so great that this suffering will engulf eventually
the peace.
God (even if he did exist) has abandoned earth and humankind. He
is only a projection.
Part I describes the absence of God.
Part II describes the consequences of this absence.
and considering what is more that
as a result of the labors left unfinished crowned by the
Acacacacademy of Anthropopopomentry of Essy-in-Possy of Testew
and Cunard it is established beyond all doubt
all other doubt than that which clings to the labors of men that
as a result of the labors unfinished of Testew and Cunard it is
established as hereinafter but not so fast for reasons unknown
that as a result of the public works of Puncher and Wattmann it
is established beyond all doubt that in view of the labors of
Fartov and Belcher left unfinished for reasons unknown of Testew
and Cunard left unfinished it is established what many deny that
man in Possy of Testew and Cunard that man in Essy
that man in short that man in brief in spite of the strides of
alimentation and defecation |is seen to waste and pine
waste and pine / wastes and pines wastes and pines| and
concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in
spite of the strides of physical culture the
practice of sports such as tennis football running
cycling swimming flying floating riding gliding conating camogie
skating tennis of all kinds dying flying sports of all sorts
autumn summer winter winter tennis of all kinds hockey of all
sorts penicilline and succedanea in a word I resume |and
concurrently simultaneously for reasons unknown to
shrink and dwindle in spite of the tennis I resume
/|flying gliding golf over nine and eighteen holes tennis of all
sorts in a word for reasons unknown in Feckham Peckham Fulham
Clapham namely concurrently simultaneously what is more for
reasons unknown but time will tell |to shrink and dwindle / fades
away| I resume Fulham Clapham in a word the dead loss per
|caput / head| since the death of Bishop
Berkeley being to the tune of one inch four ounce per |caput
/ head| approximately by and large more or less
to the nearest decimal good measure round figures stark
naked in the stockinged feet in Connemara in a word for
reasons unknown no matter what matter the facts are there
Interrupted by parodies of scholars (Fartov and Belcher),
repetition and catalogues of activities, the basic statement is
that men is in a process of shrinking - in spite of physical
exercise and technical progress. This process started with Bishop
Berkeley (Voltaire/Gottsched).
This is the core of Lucky's speech. It refers to the
enlightenment, the destruction of the picture of the Christian
God. Men became increasingly unimportant. With the expulsion from
the center of the universe, men lost security, lost the
coordinates for life. Men becomes "a speck in the void"
(Endgame).
This loss makes Beckett's people "homeless".
The third part describes this huge chaos:
and considering what is more much more grave that
in the light of the labors lost of Steinweg and Peterman it
appears what is more much more grave that in the light
the light the light of the labors |lost / | of Steinweg and
Peterman that in the plains in the mountains by the seas
by the rivers running water running fire the air is the
same and then the earth namely the air and then the
earth |in the great cold the great dark the air
and the earth / | abode of stones
in the great cold alas alas in the year of their Lord six hundred
and something the air the earth the sea the earth abode of stones
in the great deeps the great cold on sea on land and in the air I
resume for reasons unknown in spite of the tennis the facts are
there but time will tell I resume alas alas on on in short in
fine on on abode of stones who can doubt it I resume but not so
fast I resume the skull |to shrink and
waste / fading fading fading| and concurrently
simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in spite of the
tennis on on the beard the flames the tears the stones so blue so
calm alas alas on on the skull the skull the skull the
skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the labors
abandoned left unfinished graver still abode of stones
in a word I resume alas alas abandoned unfinished the
skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the
skull alas the stones Cunard (mêlée, final vociferations)
tennis ... the stones ... so calm ... Cunard ... unfinished
...
Up to "the air is the same" the syntax is intact. Then
there is stammering: repetition of phrases uttered before.
"Skull" and "stones" become dominant, the
earth as a stone desert full of skulls, death.
"Unfinished" is Lucky's last word. It refers to the
unfinished speech and thought as well as the not yet complete
shrinking process of mankind.
The process of formal deterioration of Lucky's speech and the
expressed process of decrease of men is also shown in Lucky's
life: At first he was Pozzo's teacher and possessed the mental
capacities to the fullest extent as he was able to dance
gracefully. Now his netdance resembles his speech: he is caught
in the net of cliches. The next time, even this is gone and he is
mute.