“The Misunderstanding” is a short play that contains a deep message of human hopelessness and the author’s philosophical idea of the absurd state of the human experience. It is a play that shows a tragic hero falling under ridiculous circumstances.
Jan, a lost son and brother, returns home to his mother and sister to rescue them of their ill fate and poverty. He refuses to reveal his identity to them, despite his wife’s pleas, waiting for the right moment, which never arrives. His mother and sister, unaware of his identity, go about their routine in preparing his murder so that they can steal his fortune and accomplishing his sister’s dream of living under the sun of Africa. This entire debacle is silently observed by an old man, a passive character who reveals his voice only at the very end and unveiling the symbolic meaning behind him. It can be concluded that Jan is at the center of the play as well as the idea of absurdity-he is a man trying to do right, but circumstances (maybe even fate) fail him in the most tragic and hopeless manner.
The play ends on a final no, indicating a complete hopelessness and abandonment of humanity. It explores themes of language, the importance of language and communication, of the human condition and corruption, it even comments on the complicated mother and daughter relationship. But, at the very center is the senselessness and ridiculousness of life, implied by the understatement in the title.
