The Misunderstanding

The Misunderstanding (Le Malentendu, 1944) is an absurdist tragedy by the French novelist, philosopher, and playwright Albert Camus, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. The play centers on Jan, a man who, after a 20-year absence, returns home to his mother and sister expecting to receive a celebratory welcome befitting the Prodigal Son. In his absence, his mother and sister have resorted to murdering and robbing wealthy visitors to their inn. When Jan’s mother fails to recognize him, Jan decides against identifying himself, believing his cryptic hints will prompt the recognition for which he hopes. This decision seals his fate: Unaware of his identity, his mother and sister murder him. Written in France under German occupation, the play reflects the existential precarity and moral dilemmas during a time of unprecedented global turmoil. The Misunderstanding premiered in Paris in 1944 and had two limited runs but never found success due to its moral ambiguity and formal dialogue. 

This guide references the version of The Misunderstanding included in the 2023 Vintage International Paperback edition of Caligula and Three Other Plays translated by Ryan Bloom. This translation is of Camus’s 1958 revision of the play, not the original 1944 version.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of graphic violence, death, death by suicide, and suicidal ideation.

Plot Summary

In a Central Europe setting oppressed by clouds, innkeepers Martha and her mother support themselves by robbing and murdering wealthy guests of their inn. They long to steal enough money to escape to the seaside. When Jan, Martha’s brother and the Mother’s son, returns home they fail to recognize him and mistake him for a guest. Jan has returned to his hometown after a 20-year absence to support his sister and mother following the death of his father, who previously supported them.

As they wait for Jan to arrive and register as a guest, Martha and the Mother discuss their intentions. Tired of their crimes, the Mother feels reluctant to discuss plans for their next theft and murder, preferring to think of the peaceful oblivion of sleep. Unlike her mother, Martha still longs to find happiness in the world and longs to move to the seaside, where she believes the sun will eradicate her unhappiness.

Jan’s wife Maria, who accompanied him to Europe, follows him to the inn to beg him to abandon his plan to withhold his identity in the hope his family will eventually give him the welcome he expected. As she tries to persuade Jan, the Old Servant passes by outside the window. Afraid he’ll be found out, Jan convinces Maria to leave the inn and let him pursue his plan.

Martha registers Jan at the inn. He attempts to build rapport with her, but, hardened by life, she rebuffs him. Preoccupied with his charade, Jan misses the suspicious nature of the questions Martha asks. The Mother arrives and expresses her disillusionment, lamenting that she has lost everyone who once meant something to her: her husband, her son, and her past, happy self. Jan again tries to intimate his identity in an appeal to emotion, but Martha shuts him down, chiding him that emotion has no place in their inn.

After Martha leaves, the Mother apologizes for her daughter’s behavior. She refers to Jan as her son, but to his dismay, this is just a familiar form of address. After Jan leaves, the Mother laments that Jan didn’t recognize her murderous intent. Martha interrupts this contemplation and addresses her mother’s doubts, convincing her of the necessity of the murder.

Martha visits Jan in his room, where he again tries to build rapport and she again rebuffs him. Martha too has begun to doubt their murderous plan. She tries to get rid of Jan by indicating the room’s flaws and confessing that she and her mother are thinking of abandoning the inn that very night. Jan understands that Martha wants him gone but doesn’t understand what she’s trying to save him from. Their conversation turns to the Mediterranean seaside. Jan, who previously lived there with Maria, describes its overwhelming beauty, sending Martha into a reverie. She realizes that her dream of freedom is stronger than her scruples and tells Jan that she and her mother won’t abandon the inn that night after all. Sensing Martha’s nefarious purpose, Jan jokes that it’s fortunate he doesn’t stand between her and her happiness. She chides him for talking of emotion and leaves.

Alone in the inn rendered unrecognizable to him by time, Jan doubts his plan. He rings the bell to see if anyone will answer. The Old Servant appears, but exits wordlessly. Martha enters with a tray of drugged tea. Despite not having ordered it, Jan accepts. Alone again, he toasts to the Prodigal Son’s feast and drinks. He beseeches God to grant him the conviction to abandon his plan and return to Maria.

The Mother goes to Jan’s room hoping to avert the murder only to find he has already drunk the tea. Jan tells her that he’s decided to leave the inn that night because of his unease. Now resigned to his fate, the Mother hints that he’ll change his mind about leaving. As the drug takes effect, Jan thanks his mother for her hospitality. She rebuffs him and leaves. Disheartened and nearing unconsciousness, Jan laments how distant the world feels. In his final words, he repeats the question he sought to answer: whether or not he has a home in the world.

The Mother, Martha, and the Old Servant enter. Martha robs Jan and the Old Servant absconds with his passport—which would reveal Jan’s true identity. The Mother and Martha wait next to Jan for the dam to overflow so they can drown him in the river. The Mother envies that soon Jan will no longer have to struggle through life as she does, but she regrets that he planned to leave that night. Martha blames Jan for not intuiting their true intentions. The dam overflows and they carry Jan to his death.

The following morning, Martha feels rejuvenated. As when she was young, Martha senses that happiness is within reach. The Mother is wearier than ever. The Old Servant appears with the passport. Martha is unfazed by the revelation of Jan’s identity. Shocked, the Mother declares her intention to die by suicide. Indignant that her Mother has reneged on the indifference she instilled in her, Martha tells her mother she has no right to abandon her now. Calm in the certainty of Jan’s love, the Mother agrees with Martha but maintains that she will still die by suicide. Before the Mother leaves to drown herself in the river, she apologizes to Martha for long ago forgetting how to express her love for her. Martha makes a final plea, but her mother exits.

Alone, Martha breaks into screams. She claims she wasn’t responsible for protecting her brother, curses her mother for abandoning her, and bemoans the loss of her dream of happiness by the seaside. Calming somewhat, she resolves not to turn her eyes to the consolation of heaven as the landlocked setting demands; instead, she declares she will live out her life in unhappiness.

Maria enters looking for Jan. Martha quickly discloses that she and her mother murdered him. Shocked, Maria demands an explanation. Martha chastises Maria for not understanding that such a murder is expected in a world where no one is recognized. Anguished, Maria becomes incoherent, deafening herself to Martha. Before Martha exits, she inflicts a final truth: There is no peace or home for anyone in the world.

Despairing and bereft, Maria beseeches God to answer her cry for salvation. The Old Servant enters and summarily rejects her plea.