How It Is (Comment c’est, 1961; English version 1964) by Samuel Beckett (Symbolism and Motifs)

 

How It Is (Comment c’est, 1961; English version 1964)

by Samuel Beckett

(Symbolism and Motifs) 

Symbolism and Motifs in How It Is by Samuel Beckett

In How It Is, Samuel Beckett employs stark symbolism and recurring motifs to convey a vision of existence stripped to its most elemental and unsettling form. Rather than functioning as decorative literary devices, symbols and motifs in the novel are integral to its philosophical inquiry. They recur obsessively, reinforcing the themes of suffering, uncertainty, and repetition, and shaping the reader’s experience of the text as much as its meaning.

One of the most pervasive symbols in the novel is the mud. The mud represents the physical and metaphysical condition of existence itself. It immobilizes the body, making movement slow, painful, and exhausting. Symbolically, the mud suggests the weight of being—an environment that resists progress and renders effort nearly futile. It also erases distinctions between individuals, reducing all bodies to the same degraded state. In this sense, the mud becomes a metaphor for the human condition: inescapable, degrading, and shared by all, regardless of identity or moral standing.

Closely associated with the mud is the symbol of darkness. The absence of light deprives the narrator of vision and certainty, forcing him to rely on memory, imagination, and language. Darkness thus symbolizes epistemological blindness—the inability to know the world, oneself, or one’s purpose with clarity. It also suggests isolation, as the narrator cannot see others until physical contact occurs. Beckett uses darkness to reinforce the idea that human understanding is fundamentally limited and that knowledge, like light, is largely inaccessible.

The act of crawling functions as both a motif and a symbol. Crawling replaces walking, stripping the human body of dignity and autonomy. It symbolizes reduced humanity, a regression to a pre-social, almost animal state. Yet crawling is also the only form of movement available, making it a symbol of persistence. Despite exhaustion and suffering, the narrator continues to crawl, embodying Beckett’s vision of existence as relentless continuation rather than meaningful action.

Another significant symbol is the sack of tins carried by the narrator. The tins represent survival without comfort or pleasure. Food is reduced to a mechanical necessity, devoid of enjoyment or nourishment beyond bare sustenance. The sack also symbolizes memory and continuity, as it links different phases of the narrator’s existence. It is both a burden and a lifeline, suggesting that the tools for survival are inseparable from the weight they impose.

The recurring figure of Pim operates as a complex symbolic motif rather than a fully realized character. Pim represents the interchangeable roles of victim and subordinate within Beckett’s cyclical system. He also functions as a mirror of the narrator’s own vulnerability, embodying the possibility that the narrator himself was once dominated or will be again. Pim’s replaceability underscores the novel’s denial of individual uniqueness and highlights the systemic nature of suffering.

Language itself becomes a symbolic motif through its fragmentation and repetition. The broken syntax mirrors the brokenness of consciousness and the failure of communication. Repetition replaces development, suggesting that thought, like action, moves in circles. Language does not clarify experience but exposes its instability, becoming a symbol of the mind’s struggle to assert coherence in a hostile or indifferent reality.

Finally, repetition operates as a structural motif that reinforces all other symbols. The repeated cycles of movement, domination, abandonment, and solitude reflect a universe governed not by progress but by recurrence. This motif denies the possibility of narrative resolution and symbolizes the endless nature of suffering and existence itself.

In conclusion, the symbolism and motifs of How It Is function collectively to depict a world in which meaning is stripped away and replaced by repetition, endurance, and uncertainty. Mud, darkness, crawling, tins, Pim, and fractured language are not isolated symbols but interlocking elements of Beckett’s vision. Through them, Beckett transforms abstract philosophical despair into a concrete, unforgettable literary experience.