The Old Man
The silent old man that is present throughout the play, as a watchful figure in the background, is a symbol, and his meaning is revealed at the very end. The old man represents a figure of divinity, that watches over without intervening, and the one time a character calls for him, he refuses to help them, representing hopelessness, as well as a criticism of that which it represents.
The misunderstanding
The title of the play is an understatement relating to the play as a whole. The misunderstanding in the title refers to the misunderstanding that drives the entire plot, escalating in a tragic end. This misunderstanding leads to the most ironic, tragic outcome.
“If you must know, there was in fact a slight misunderstanding. Nothing out of the ordinary. It’s the kind of thing that happens.”
-Martha explaining to Maria the circumstances of her husband’s death.
The river
The river is symbolic because it is a place where Martha and mother take their victims to drown in their sleep and make the evidence of their killings be washed away. Just like the victims’ bodies disappear and get washed away, so Martha and mother believe their deeds and guilty conscience will be washed away as well.
The elsewhere
Martha dreams of elsewhere, and it’s the reason why she kills the guests that come to the hotel. She hates the gloomy and cold Europe weather and dreams of the African sun that will melt away all her troubles. This elsewhere she dreams of is a symbol of the emptiness and coldness she feels inside herself, and to escape her “here” would mean to escape from her own self.
