Vladimir
Character Analysis
Vladimir is the more intellectual. He has the better memory, and he’s more logical. And Vladimir makes a point of saying, repeatedly, we might add, that Estragon depends on him for his life. Vladimir’s "don’t get too close to me" attitude has to do with his severe reactions to watching others suffer. Just look at the way he flips out when Estragon wants to talk about his "private nightmares": "Don’t tell me!" he yells, followed shortly by "DON’T TELL ME!" and finally by the slightly less emotional, "You know I can’t bear that." Vladimir’s solution to emotional inadequacy is to mimic what he thinks a person should do. He doesn’t know how to be human, so he fakes it. "Let us do something," he declares to Estragon, "all mankind is us!" all Vladimir’s problems are Vladimir’s fault. He lives in a hell of his own making. According to Vladimir, the act of waiting for Godot prevents him from choosing another action. Estragon wants to know why they can’t leave: because they’re waiting for Godot. Why do they have to come back tomorrow? Because they’re waiting for Godot. Why can’t they live their lives instead of partaking in endless and fruitless banality? Because of…global warming? No, because they’re waiting for Godot.In this way he is self-damning; he ends every day of waiting by committing to do the same the next day.