Trapped In Place Symbol
In several of Beckett's plays, the characters are trapped in place. Whether it be in ash cans, with only their heads visible, or in mounds of earth, as the characters in Happy Days are, Beckett presents characters that are visibly trapped in their own symbolism. Winnie is trapped in a mound of earth that makes it almost impossible to move very far away from her husband or fro her situation in life, and this is symbolic of her inability to change her life no matter how hard she tries to.
Light Symbol
Light is a recurring symbol in much of Beckett's work. Light and illumination are symbolic of consciousness and spiritual illumination in man, and the darkness infers an ignorance about the meaning of life and existence. This is most obvious in Act Without Words, in which the opening words of the published version of the play are "Desert. Dazzling Light."
Loud Noise Symbol
In Happy Days, Winnie's attention is always re-attracted by the ringing of a bell, that rings for an unexplained purpose. This symbolism is also present in a number of other plays, including Act Without Words; a loud whistle draws the man's attention and seems to guide his actions, and symbolizes an unseen outside force or guide. These external guiding forces are symbolized in Beckett's plays in general as a symbol of malevolence because the characters whom the sounds are guiding are led to do things that are very out of character that they would otherwise not considering doing.
Unreliable Memory Symbol
Throughout his work, Beckett retains a fascination for the equality of uncertainty in the past, the present and the future, despite logic telling us that the past is more certain because we have already experienced it. The way in which one interprets ones own past is emphasized in Waiting for Godot as Vladimir constantly reminds Estragon of his experiences, or corrects his re-telling of them. Their accuracy can never be a certainty because Estragon is demonstrating his own capacity for misremembering and reinterpreting the past.
Similarly, in Play, the way in which all the characters talk at the same time and make no real sense symbolizes the fact that after a person's death, their existence becomes a series of fragmented memories of other people and less about what their own lives from their own perspective.
Futility Motif
The motif of futility is a constant throughout Beckett's plays. This is also connected to his theme of the passing of time, in that many of the characters find their existence completely futile because time is going to pass with our without their input and participation. This makes many of them feel as though their existence is futile. The fact that after death, which comes to everyone regardless of what they have achieved, or whether they have participated in life or allowed it to pass them by, everyone becomes a memory that differs according to the rememberer. This makes one's own view of oneself futile because that is not what is remembered of us after we are gone.
