The End by Samuel Beckett
"The End" by Samuel Beckett is a profound exploration of the final days of an elderly man grappling with physical decline and existential questions. The story centers on an unnamed protagonist who finds himself ejected from a public institution, armed only with a small amount of money and a tenacious will to survive. Despite his grim circumstances and deteriorating health, the character possesses a sharp wit and a keen self-awareness that set him apart from mere caricature.
As he wanders through a town that seems familiar yet hostile, he encounters a mix of rejection and fleeting connections, including a dismissive interaction with his son. Beckett's narrative unfolds in a straightforward manner, eschewing complex plots in favor of a raw depiction of the man's struggle for dignity and autonomy. Eventually, the protagonist seeks refuge in various makeshift homes, including a boat that symbolizes his desire for freedom and escape.
The story concludes with the old man's contemplation of his ultimate fate, revealing a blend of resignation and defiance. "The End" invites readers to reflect on themes of isolation, resilience, and the human spirit's capacity to confront mortality with a sense of humor and grace. This work is emblematic of Beckett's broader literary oeuvre, characterized by its absurdist elements and poignant insights into the human condition.
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The End by Samuel Beckett
First published: "La Fin," 1955 (English translation, 1960)
Type of plot: Absurdist
Time of work: The twentieth century
Locale: Possibly Ireland
Principal Character:
The narrator , an elderly, unnamed man
The Story
If readers expect the contemporary short story to concentrate on a "slice of life," it must be said that Samuel Beckett is inclined to take his cut at the far end of the loaf. "The End" is a good example of the subject on which he has concentrated in much of his work: the gritty, sometimes offensive experience of the last days of an old man, struggling to survive and, at the same time, willing to die.
There are no tricks, no sophisticated twists and turns in this story. It is simply the tale of an old, unnamed man, thrown out of some kind of public institution (probably a charitable hospital) with a bit of money and not much else. He has, however, a peculiarity that makes him more than a repulsive, stinking bag of bones; he has the capacity to survive, despite crippling physical limitations, a lively curiosity especially about himself, and (like many of Beckett's tramps) something that is often not seen quickly enough: a first-class, witty intelligence and the ability to talk well, if sometimes disgustingly, about his experiences.
This old man goes from pillar to post, leaving the institution reluctantly, being rebuffed in his attempts to find shelter, finally getting himself a basement room from which he is soon evicted after being cheated out of his money. On the streets again in a town that seems to be his home, he passes his son, who tips his hat to him and goes on his way. It is just as well because the old man despises him. Finally, in his wandering in and out of town, he meets an old friend who offers him shelter in a seaside cave. He uses it briefly and then leaves because he cannot stand the constant tumult of the sea. He is relieved to get away because he does not need friendship.
He retreats to a wrecked mountain cabin owned by the same man in which, in his weakened and hungry state, he attempts in a comic knock-down-and-drag-out attack to milk a cow on the move. Eventually, he falls, stumbles, and crawls back to town, where he finds shelter in a shed on a deserted estate near the river.
He now sets up to work as a beggar during the day, mindful of his nice problem of eliciting sympathy without at the same time offending donors' delicate noses. He is not without a peculiar dignity that will not allow him to be used by a Marxist street orator as an example of the capitalist failure. He scoops up his coins, unties his begging board, and leaves work early.
In the shed he sleeps in an old boat that he has meticulously fixed up as a home and as a refuge from the local rats. It is here that the reader leaves him, as he is describing his visions, particularly his ultimate vision of floating out to sea and pulling the plug hole in the bottom of his boat in order to make his end.
If the story goes anywhere, it is from bad to worse, as the old man degenerates physically day by day. What does not happen is any loss of the wild, lively, pawky imagination or any cessation of the chattering soliloquy. Self-pity never intrudes, and it is hard not to admire a man, however odoriferous, who can stare his end in the face with such equanimity.