Human Wishes (c. 1936–1937, fragment) by Samuel Beckett (Themes)

 

Human Wishes (c. 1936–1937, fragment)

by Samuel Beckett

(Themes) 

Themes in Human Wishes (c. 1936–1937, fragment) by Samuel Beckett

In Human Wishes, Beckett explores a cluster of profound and interwoven themes that anticipate the philosophical concerns of his later dramatic masterpieces. Though the play remains unfinished, its thematic depth is unmistakable. Through his portrayal of Samuel Johnson during the composition of The Vanity of Human Wishes, Beckett examines the tension between human aspiration and inevitable limitation. The fragment becomes less a historical account and more a meditation on the nature of desire, mortality, and existential uncertainty.

 

1. The Vanity of Human Ambition

The central theme of the play mirrors the argument of Johnson’s poem itself: human beings pursue wealth, fame, power, and recognition, yet these pursuits often end in disappointment. Johnson, who writes about the emptiness of worldly ambition, is simultaneously consumed by his own longing for literary immortality. This paradox generates the emotional core of the drama. Beckett suggests that intellectual awareness does not free one from desire. Even when individuals understand the futility of ambition, they continue to strive.

This contradiction reveals a tragic dimension of human existence: knowledge does not erase longing. Instead, it intensifies the burden of it.

 

2. The Burden of Consciousness

Another significant theme is the weight of self-awareness. Johnson is portrayed as deeply reflective, constantly analyzing his motives and fears. His intellectual brilliance becomes both gift and curse. The more he contemplates the instability of fame and fortune, the more restless he becomes.

This theme foreshadows Beckett’s later exploration of consciousness as a source of suffering. Awareness does not bring peace; it amplifies anxiety. To think deeply is to recognize fragility—and to live with that recognition daily.

 

3. Mortality and Impermanence

Death lingers quietly throughout the fragment. Tetty’s failing health serves as a constant reminder of human vulnerability. Time presses forward relentlessly, indifferent to intellectual achievements or personal aspirations. Johnson’s struggle to create lasting work becomes a defiance against oblivion.

Yet Beckett subtly questions whether permanence is attainable at all. Even the most celebrated achievements may fade. Human life, in its physical and emotional dimensions, is transient. This awareness deepens the play’s atmosphere of subdued melancholy.

 

4. Domestic Strain and Emotional Isolation

While the play centers on intellectual ambition, it also examines personal relationships. Johnson’s interactions with his wife reveal emotional distance and misunderstanding. Their shared life is marked by affection mixed with irritation, dependence, and frustration.

Beckett portrays domestic life not as a refuge from existential anxiety but as another sphere where human limitations surface. Love exists, yet it is imperfectly expressed. Communication falters. Emotional isolation persists even within companionship.

 

5. Faith and Doubt

Although not overtly theological, the fragment carries undercurrents of spiritual questioning. Johnson, historically known for his religious seriousness, grapples with moral and existential concerns. Beckett presents faith not as triumphant certainty but as something shadowed by doubt.

This tension between belief and uncertainty reinforces the larger theme of instability. Just as worldly ambitions fail to satisfy, spiritual assurance is not depicted as simple or complete.

 

6. Futility and Persistence

Perhaps the most distinctly Beckettian theme is the coexistence of futility and persistence. Johnson understands the fragility of human hopes, yet he continues to write. He knows ambition may disappoint, yet he pursues it. This persistence, despite awareness of likely failure, captures a paradox at the heart of human existence.

The fragment’s unfinished state intensifies this theme. The play itself remains incomplete, mirroring the unfinished nature of human striving. Life, like the manuscript, resists neat resolution.

 

Conclusion

In Human Wishes, Beckett transforms a historical literary moment into a timeless exploration of human longing. Ambition, mortality, doubt, emotional isolation, and the persistence of desire converge in a portrait of a man—and by extension, humanity—caught between aspiration and inevitability.

Even in fragmentary form, the play reveals a writer already preoccupied with questions that would later define works such as Waiting for Godot. Beckett’s early drama suggests that the tragedy of human life does not lie merely in failure, but in the unquenchable impulse to hope despite it.