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The boy is an unnamed character who appears at the end of each act and works as a goatherd for Godot. He is extremely timid and hesitant to approach Vladimir and Estragon. The boy reflects themes of ambiguity, repetition, and uncertainty. In both scenes, he claims that he is not the boy that came the night before and it is ambiguous whether or not this is true. The reader is inclined to question the validity of this claim. Lack of identity can be a key element found in Theatre of the Absurd and many characters' identities are blurred. Even Vladimir and Estragon seem interchangeable at times. This interaction also suggests repetition that exists outside of the confines of the play: the reader must consider that not only do occurrences and dialogue in Act 1 repeat in Act 2, but that Act 1 is a repetition of events that occurred prior to the play's beginning.
At the end of each act, the boy informs Vladimir and Estragon that Godot cannot come that night but will arrive the following night. He then departs and night falls immediately, crafting a connection between the boy and an endless cycle of uncertainty without progress or change. Readers question whether Godot will ever come or if this cycle is bound to repeat forever. Furthermore, Vladimir knows exactly what message the boy will deliver at the end of Act 2 before he says anything. Textual evidence indicates that information can be repeated endlessly with neither Vladimir nor Estragon truly grasping it. The fact that the boy's message has stuck in Vladimir's mind is striking; perhaps this interaction has occurred countless times before and never once has Godot actually arrived.
The boy also epitomizes lack of meaning. When questioned whether he is unhappy, he replies that he does not know, indicating that he is unable to make his own life meaningful. The boy perhaps exemplifies the average person who allows their life to be governed by a higher power—in this case, Godot—in order for their existence to hold meaning. Godot evidently governs the boy's life but in Act 2, the boy remarks that Godot "does nothing." The boy, Vladimir, and Estragon all shape their lives around Godot but here, readers must question whether Godot's existence even contains significance. Beckett therefore crafts a commentary about individuals who live monotonous lives devoid of substance and derive value and purpose from idolized, often religious, figureheads.
