As the first atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima on the 6th August 1945, 100 000 Japanese civilians lost their lives in a single blinding flash. In that moment, the world entered a new era. Morality was compromised, human lives lost their value and entire social paradigms were shifted to accommodate the irrationality and gross inhumanity that was prevalent in World War II. In response to the shifting values of the post-WWII period, Cold War literature is characterized by an intensified questioning of the nature of humanity, human beliefs and values and is imbued with a sense of uncertainty and anxiety. Joseph Heller’s 1961 satirical war novel, Catch-22 and Samuel Beckett’s 1956 absurdist play Waiting for Godot all encapsulate the post-war zeitgeist …show more content…
The rise of McCarthyism and the Vietnam War both epitomized this fear of communism. But, as a result of this, the power of capitalism rose. The ruthlessness of capitalist values and its limited capacity for morality is incarnated in Milo Minderbinder’s entrepreneurial pursuits in Catch-22. After he bombs his own squadron for a payment from the Germans, Milo defends his actions by saying that, because of the profit he had made, “he could reimburse the government for all the people and property he had destroyed.” The value of human life has been overruled by the desire for profit such that man is now a commodity. Pozzo in Beckett’s Waiting for Godot further explores the greed that stems from capitalism. Pozzo is a metaphor for Faustian man, surrounding himself with material items to create the illusion of grandeur and sacrificing the well-being of his slave, Lucky, in order to satisfy his every whim, just as Faustus sold his soul for knowledge, glory and comfort. By employing the character of Pozzo, Beckett reflects on the creation of the bomb, likening it to a classic Faustian pursuit- politicians trading in their morals and humanity for the ultimate control of power. These sentiments of moral compromise were felt during the Cold War period, as many believed that the world was run by greed for money and …show more content…
Whether Godot will actually arrive, however, is uncertain. Vladimir’s biblical allusion to the story of the two thieves at Christ’s crucifixion is reminiscent of the two tramps’ uncertainty of whether Godot will come and the religious uncertainty that pervaded the post-war period where no one could be certain that a life of moral integrity would lead to eternal salvation. The thieves faced a 50/50 chance of salvation- “one is supposed to have been saved and the other... damned.” Both thieves led immoral lives but one was still saved thus the uncertainty arises. In capturing this mood of uncertainty, Beckett “parts company with both believers and existentialists because he presents existence as a dilemma that cannot be resolved either by taking a god or refusing all gods,” as noted by literary critic, S.P. Smith. As many believed that nothing was certain in existence but death, morality declined. During the Cold War period, there seemed no point to leading a virtuous existence when mankind could obliterate itself at any point in