The Voice of Reason

Judging from his expression at the end of the event, Krapp disagrees with the voice coming from the tape, when it says that "(Pause. Perhaps my best years are gone. When there was a chance of happiness. But I wouldn't want them back. Not with the fire in me now. No, I wouldn't want them back" (Beckett). Does this mean that this bitter, old man has lost the "fire" he once had? Fire appears to be a recurrent symbol or metaphor in near-suicidal works: In The Road, the fire represents the determination to survive as humans, deserving the term 'human' in the process. Apparently, the fire mentioned in this piece does not represent the same thing. It probably refers to the emotional sediment left by experiences. Maybe, the after-taste is bad enough to regret ever trying the experience. In this thing (a term to which I must surrender, considering my inability to properly identify this artistic genre,) the fire burned the man, and his scars are what make him question the beauty of the experience in the first place. Are experiences worth the trouble?