Existence in Limbo and the Post-War Psyche: Absurdism and Alienation across Cultures

This paper explores the role of absurdism in post-war theatre through a comparative study of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party, and Badal Sircar’s Evam Indrajit. Written in the aftermath of the Second World War, these plays reflect themes of confusion, alienation, and the search for meaning in a world that often appears purposeless. They move away from traditional storytelling and use fragmented plots, cryptic dialogue, and surreal settings to express the emotional emptiness of modern life. Despite their different cultural and geographical contexts, the plays present characters who feel lost, powerless, and unsure of their identities. While Beckett and Pinter portray the existential crisis in a European context, Sircar adapts absurdism to explore the struggles of Indian middle-class youth. This study shows how absurdist drama captures the deep emotional and psychological crisis of the time, highlighting the shared human experience of seeking meaning in an uncertain world.