Life is
a Speck
Samuel
Beckett's absurdist play, Endgame, presents
a view into the lives of four survivors who go about their daily
routines in an attempt to hold on to a shred of their former
normality. Interspersed throughout this routine is a series of
lengthy conversations that reveal the true bleakness of the
post-apocalyptic environment raging outside the relative comfort of
the shelter. Among these conversations is a speech delivered by Hamm,
the blind and cynical man who dominates most of the dialogue, that
expresses his inner feelings of insignificance. Hamm states that he,
as well as his fellow survivors, is “a speck in the void”
(Beckett 2954); this metaphor shows that Hamm sees himself as a
miniscule entity in the vastness of the universe. The metaphor does
not end there, however. The feeling of insecurity extends farther
into Hamm's psyche by manifesting his views on blindness and his
isolation in the ravaged world into one concise image. The metaphor
is Hamm's bitter, three-pronged criticism of the world that provides
audiences with an insight into the mind of the angry survivor.
Hamm's
speech begins abruptly, catching the audience off guard with his
sudden surge of dialogue. He delivers the speech quickly and without
preparation; the sudden genesis of the speech implies that Hamm's
feelings of isolation in the universe are constantly bubbling inside
him, waiting only for the opportune moment to be expressed. The
metaphor of being a “speck” parallels Hamm's belief that humanity
and, in a direct extension of thought, the earth are merely a tiny
ball of dust in the infinity of the cosmic void. This belief of
insignificance is the tenor of Hamm's metaphor, while the vehicle is
the speck of dust swirling in the infinite darkness. Hamm's reality
is defined by these very polarizing images; he sees the world in
terms of large and small, light and dark, and futile and fruitful.
Hamm's metaphor does not end with just his own reality, however; by
including the entirety of the world in the image, Hamm extends the
insignificance of life the consciousnesses of his fellow survivors.
He is not the only speck of dust floating in the void, but adding
three other specks does little to diminish his feelings of
insecurity.
The
metaphor of isolation in the dark implies Hamm's feelings of
insignificance in the universe; however, the image extends farther
into Hamm's mind than the feelings of futility. Hamm is a blind
individual and, knowing that, the concept of “infinite emptiness”
(2954) becomes vastly more revealing. Hamm's audience knows of his
disability and would be aware of the implication of an infinite
darkness. Hamm lives his entire life in this isolation, knowing only
the memories of sight and the sounds of the people he now spends
every moment with. His consciousness and his thoughts are his
metaphorical “speck in the void” (2954). Through his various
speeches, Hamm attempts to shape the void around him, trying to
provide more substance to the darkness. However, as his metaphor in
this speech attests, nothing he can say or do can overcome the
emptiness of his blindness. No manner of speech or no way of acting
can reverse the damage done to his eyes. Hamm will remain a mere
speck in his own physical void for the rest of his life.
In
the same speech, Hamm compounds upon the isolation metaphor. He
states that he and his fellow survivors are a “little bit of grit
in the middle of the steppe” (2954). This addition to the metaphor
adds the final layer to the overall image; Hamm's shelter is a
miniscule dot in the maelstrom of post-apocalyptic nothingness raging
outside the four, thin walls. Saying that the shelter is a “bit of
grit” adds texture to the image Hamm is attempting to conjure; this
added texture transforms the previous image of a “speck” into a
physical representation of isolation. The steppe in Hamm's image is a
reflection of the flat nothingness that Clov observes every day as he
looks out the windows. Though the image of human perseverance in the
face of apocalyptic destruction would usually be seen as a positive,
Hamm spins the metaphor into a bleak and unforgiving image of the
futility of human perseverance. Hamm is speaking to three other
survivors; his audience is aware of the bleak conditions surrounding
the shelter. The knowledge of the outside world compounds the
hopeless image for Hamm's audience; their own experiences add a sense
of reality to their isolation. Hamm knows this and uses these strong
images of isolation to further drag his audience into believing his
cynical view of life in the wasteland.
Hamm's
metaphor of isolation after the destruction of society has numerous
layers that depict both his inner thoughts of insignificance and his
thoughts on his physical isolation from the outside world. Hamm uses
these metaphors to force his world view upon his audience; he places
emphasis upon the images of isolation as he growls out his speech.
His audience is forced to listen to his ramblings. They are all
isolated from the outside world and only have each other for company.
In this case, Hamm's image of isolation in the “infinite emptiness”
(2954) is accurate and further strengthens his arguments. Hamm's well
constructed metaphors of isolation and insignificance are hard to
deny, especially for an audience who is trapped in a post-apocalyptic
shelter surrounded by the remnants of society.
Hamm's
speech: http://youtu.be/nLgd1viQ9hs?t=6m25s
The speech continues until 7:57.
