For me, this early story from Samuel Beckett suffers from over-use of allusion. The assumption that readers will be familiar enough with Dante’s Divine Comedy to understand its nuances suggests a writer out of touch with his audience. Hidden among the allusions is an absurdist comedy spanning an afternoon in the life of a solitary, eccentric student having trouble with his studies. He is fanatical about unimportant things (such as making the perfect toasted sandwich) and apathetic towards the things that matter. Themes: the meaningless and futility of life, death and dying. More…