Although Waiting for Godot and Mother Courage and Her Children are quite different in terms of plot structure and setting, there are similarities present in the use of dark images as symbols of religious, social and political criticism. The symbolism extends beyond the images and includes the characters themselves. Props, especially in Godot, have an abstract meaning more easily evident in the ways they are used than in their intrinsic characteristics. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Boots play a symbolic role in both plays, although they serve different purposes. In Godot, the constant struggle to remove and replace boots, as well as the incessant question of which boot belongs to which character, is representative of a deeper fundamental identity crisis channeled towards external signifiers of identity. Mother Courage offers the red high-heeled boots to Kattrin to comfort her after receiving the scar on her face. Kattrin refuses to accept them: for her they symbolize the abuse she has suffered at the hands of men. Male attention has stolen her voice and facial beauty, and the boots represent the incongruity between love and war. When the drum rolls indicate that Swiss Cheese is about to be executed, the stage briefly goes dark. This is a symbol of death very similar to the darkness that occurred before the crucifixion of Christ. Indeed, Mother Courage denies knowing Swiss Cheese's identity, recalling Peter's denial of knowing Jesus. Interestingly, the chaplain's song after Swiss Cheese's arrest recounts the moments leading up to the crucifixion. Waiting for Godot uses darkness as a similar allegory for death, when night falls and men are relieved of their "duty", no longer forced to wait for Godot. A surprising moment in Waiting for Godot occurs when Pozzo orders Vladimir to place the bowler hat on Lucky's head so he can think. This inanimate object, by virtue of the status it offers, allows Lucky to think for himself and begins to soliloquise. When the hat is removed, his monologue ends abruptly. We get the feeling that it's not Lucky doing the thinking, but rather the hat and the identity it embodies. The symbolism of the hats is not limited to Lucky, and Vladimir and Estragon exchange hats several times, highlighting the fluidity and flow of their identities. The rope around Lucky's neck symbolizes the power dynamic between him and Pozzo, and the abuse makes it clear that Lucky is his subordinate. Yet in the second act, the rope is much shorter, and it is Lucky who directs Pozzo, now blind, blurring the line between servant and master. Kattrin, like Lucky, has no voice, although it was stolen from her through rape. rather than slavery. Her drum, another inanimate object, can be said to give her the voice she lacks. Interestingly, the drum is among the things Kattrin brings back after being attacked while purchasing things for her mother. We see that the drum, for Kattrin, symbolizes defiance against oppression. These inanimate objects, while not equipped with any special powers, allow characters to accomplish what they cannot. Both Kattrin and Lucky surprise us with their meaning at the end of the plays. It becomes apparent that Lucky's name, while seemingly ironic, actually fits his position in relation to the other characters. Lucky has two luxuries that the others lack: certainty and awareness. Lucky does not struggle with “the agony of choice” as both Vladimir and Estragon do; Pozzo gives him the certainty and authority that Godot will never give him. Lucky is too.