Watt: Analysis of Major Characters
"Watt" is a novel that delves into the complexities of its major characters, primarily focusing on Watt himself, who serves as a servant in the enigmatic household of Mr. Knott and later finds himself in a mental institution. Watt is depicted as a physically unkempt man with a peculiar collection of clothing items that reflect his transient lifestyle, suggesting a deeper search for identity. His internal life is rich with philosophical inquiry, particularly as he attempts to understand the mundane realities surrounding him, such as the peculiarities of Mr. Knott's meals and the unpredictable occurrences in his environment.
Mr. Knott, the owner of the house, is characterized by his ever-changing appearance and routine, embodying a life of repetitive actions and mysterious behavior that leaves much to the imagination. Supporting characters like Sam, Watt's companion in the institution, and Arsene, a preceding servant, provide additional layers of context regarding the strange dynamics at play within Mr. Knott's home. Other figures, including Mrs. Gorman and Mr. Graves, contribute to the narrative by revealing snippets of the larger social fabric and history that surrounds the household.
Through these characters, the novel explores themes of communication, existential inquiry, and the complexities of human relationships, all set against a backdrop that oscillates between the absurd and the mundane. This analysis invites readers to engage with the text on a deeper level, considering not only the characters’ individual arcs but also the broader philosophical questions they raise.
Watt: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Samuel Beckett
First published: 1953
Genre: Novel
Locale: Ireland's countryside
Plot: Absurdist
Time: Probably between the two world wars
Watt “Christian name forgotten”), a servant in the Irish country house of Mr. Knott and subsequently an inmate of a mental institution. He is a “big bony shabby seedy knockkneed” man with a big red nose, rotten teeth, and red hair streaked with gray. The more conspicuous parts of his wardrobe include a hat found by his grandfather at the races, a coat bought by his father from a widow, a brown shoe found at the seashore, and a brown boot bought from a one-legged man with borrowed money. He walks with a swinging gait without bending his knees, his smile seems artificially composed, and he drinks only milk. Before coming to Mr. Knott's, he had no fixed address, though he is described as probably a university man and as an experienced traveler. He mechanically obeyed whatever mysterious message summoned him to Mr. Knott's house and obeys when his successor arrives and signals his departure. He is mostly uncommunicative and inarticulate, but he has had male friends and has even enjoyed some romances, at least one of them consummated. It is Watt's mental life that takes up the greater part of the book. He seeks “semantic succour” in naming accurately the objects around him, though even as commonplace an object as a pot gives him trouble. He seeks within his own mind explanations for the events that take place around him; he apparently solves the mysteries surrounding Mr. Knott's meals but fails to account for the visit of two piano tuners. Even when Watt settles on a hypothesis that satisfies him, he must first consider all the alternatives, however implausible, and later communicate them to Sam.
Mr. Knott, the owner of a country house that has been in his family for generations. His appearance varies daily, being at one time “small fat pale and fair” and at another “tall fat pale and dark,” with endless variations. His wardrobe also constantly changes. He is constantly moving about his room and constantly moving its furniture. Otherwise, his life is mechanically repetitious. He always has two live-in servants, one in charge of the ground floor and his meals, one in charge of the first floor and personal services. The meals are always the same. Once a week, Watt cooks a mixture of foods, drinks, and medicines, which is served cold to Mr. Knott for lunch and dinner, the leftovers (if any) being consumed by a famished dog. Mr. Knott sometimes walks in the garden. He apparently never communicates, though he makes mysterious noises and sings songs in an unknown tongue.
Sam, Watt's occasional companion in the mental institution. He is able to report the details of Watt's life with Mr. Knott, even though he sees Watt only when the weather is right for both of them, even though they converse while marching (Sam forward and Watt backward) between two barbed-wire fences, and even though Watt varies his delivery, sometimes inverting the order of words in the sentence, sometimes inverting the order of the letters in the word, and invoking other variations as well.
Arsene, a servant whom Watt displaces, a “little fat shabby seedy juicy or oily bandylegged man” who gives Watt a pessimistic account of the Knott establishment.
Erskine, a fellow servant, for whose mysterious dashes up and downstairs, and for whose mysterious responses to a bell in the night, Watt can find no satisfactory explanation.
Mrs. Gorman, Mr. Knott's fishwoman, with whom Watt necks every Thursday.
Mr. Graves, the unhappily married gardener, from whom Watt learns something of the Knott history.
Lynch, the name of an unhealthy and incestuous family paid by Mr. Knott to maintain a succession of famished dogs to consume his leftovers. Art and Con are the twin dwarfs who bring the dog to Mr. Knott's house each evening.