In Krapp’s Last Tape, Samuel Beckett makes several references to bananas, which may seem a little unorthodox, however I propose the following two reasons that Beckett may have included these fruity references in his play.
1.) Youthfulness- Now I may be misinterpreting this, but in Valparaiso there are also several references to eating overly ripe bananas, which I understood to be related to a fleeting sense of youthfulness. I think that the same sort of interpretation may be appropriate here, as Krapp’s youth is clearly gone, despite his efforts to lock it away.
2.) Digestion- Another interpretation of the significance of bananas may also be constructed if one buys into the interpretation offered in lecture about Krapp and his problematic and constant state of constipation, as bananas are supposed to be good for regulating your digestive system.
In reality, one, both, or neither of these interpretations may apply to the play. To be quite honest, I did have some trouble following what was going on.
I had trouble following the play as well because of the lack of a conventional plot and such. I also found his use of bananas interesting, except I thought that Beckett used them to symbolize Krapp's regression to an almost apelike behavior or insanity.
ReplyDeleteI have absolutely no idea why bananas were referenced so many times or the symbolic meaning of bananas. He did mention that his doctor had told him to stay away from eating so many bananas, but yea he still ate them constantly and many at a time... I also couldn't really follow what was going on throughout the play or follow the order of what might be happening, I realized now though, that might be the whole point of Beckett's writing, to take the reading literally and not to interpret it any farther.
ReplyDeleteFirst things first, your title to this post was funny, I literally laughed out loud. The way you took the whole banana situation is very interesting. I think possibly it could have something to do with youthfulness. It has some truth to it. I was thrown off at first when he kept talking about bananas, but in a way it kind of set the tone of how he is personally.
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