Structural Elements

When first reading this play, I tried making sense of it, tried to grab some kind of meaning. We talk in class a lot about symbolism. What do the shoes mean? The tree? Lucky on a leash? I haven’t grasped the meaning to these items but I’m sure they need to mean something. I noticed that Vladimir keeps taking off his hat, looking in it, putting it back on, taking it off, looking in it….It just goes on and on. There is a part in the book where they find Lucky’s hat and then Vladimir and Estragon swap hats, around and around, till they end up throwing one of them on the ground.
The tree also holds some kind of symbolic meaning. In Act 1 the tree is bare, as if it is dead. Then the next Act 2, the tree has leaves. Vladimir and Estragon, both times, comment as to whether it is a weeping willow.
What is it?
I don’t know. A willow.
Where are the leaves?
It must be dead
No more weeping
After putting aside the urge to find meaning to this play, I really appreciate the structural elements of it. Vladimir and Estragon’s discussions just flow as if they are one person’s thoughts, but then they are choppy and confusing when an element of sorrow or frustration between them arises. An element that really stuck out to me was when Estragon repeats himself, such as:
(P.40 back and forth between Vladimir and Estragon)
All the dead voices
They make a noise like wings
Like leaves
Like sand
Like leaves
Silence
Rather they whisper
They rustle
They murmur
They rustle
Silence
They make a noise like feathers
Like leaves
Like ashes
Like leaves
Long silence