It is unclear if Nell truly does die--Beckett was opaque about this in conversation as well, even with the actors he was directing. Assuming she has died, perhaps it is only temporary, and she will be resurrected the next day. In the cyclical world the characters inhabit, this is not an implausible idea--maybe her death is a daily routine. A more likely reason for her death is that Nell is the one character who understands …showed first 75 words of 239 total…

…showed last 75 words of 239 total…have quickly forgotten Nell, though Nagg was crying at one point. Once a person is out of their lives, or knocked out of their circular loop, it is as if she has never existed. The characters' memories extend back to childhood, unlike in Waiting for Godot, where they have trouble remembering yesterday's events. Even so, they seem to displace that which has preceded them because if it does not affect them currently, it never will.