The Effect of Socio-Psychological Forces on Samuel Beckett’s Selected Plays

Abstract

The study explores the factors that led Samuel Beckett to react against the ninetieth century literary movement abandons religiousness ideology and asserts existential ideas in his life and writings. The events are exemplified in the twentieth century trauma, as well as his family circle (his mother). They were philosophically denoted in his play wailing for Godot (1953), End Game (1957), and Krapp's Last Tape (1958). The plays bear concepts such as meaninglessness and anguish, where the characters do not have fixed identities; they suffer from the self-being; their lives are based on illusions, and the line between the reality and fantasy is absent. The study followed qualitative descriptive methods; formulism psychoanalysis and existential criticism are used. The present study confirmed that, the characters in Beckett's plays are psychologically ill; distorted, lame and their life is material based; logic. On the other hand, they are spiritually poor. Self is heavily projected and revealed in a very philosophical and ideological manner. Experience is expressed in a far more profound and fundamental nature than a mere autobiography. “Suffering of being” is mirrored and reflected. Overall, the outcome of the study proves that life is meaningulness, if a man is body and soul!