A Scene with a Red Bird

A Scene with A Red Bird by Betsuyaku, the leading absurdist playwright of Japan, is a fable that depicts Japan’s civil society after World War II. The story centers around a blind woman and her younger brother, who decide to work off their parents’ debt after their suicide but are suppressed by a committee which had been formed to investigate the parents’ suicides. The woman’s devotion to the debt brings anxiety to the townspeople who hope for nothing but a quiet, undisturbed life. This makes her a “red bird” — a symbol of danger or a red light to a society that is unable to face its collective guilt.