Absurdist drama is about the illogical nature of the world and its lack of meaning. The main character in The Birthday Party, Stanley Webber, is an unemployed pianist, but he asks Meg, who runs the boarding house where he lives, "I haven't got a piano, have I?" Stanley is unaware of even the basic nature of his existence. Later, Stanley tells Meg, who is celebrating Stanley's birthday, "This isn't my birthday, Meg," even though she reassures him it is. Stanley is unsure even of when he was born, showing his alienation and uncertainty about the world. 

When two agents named Goldberg and McCann arrive to question Stanley, their questions veer into the absurd. Goldberg asks Stanley, "Who watered the wicket in Melbourne?" and McCann adds, "What about the blessed Oliver Plunkett?" Goldberg and McCann continue to ask questions that have no answers as they grill Stanley. They use this absurdism to torture Stanley. However, conversation in this play has no meaning, and words are only used to confuse people. The confusing nature of words supports the idea that the world is absurd and that the search for meaning is pointless.