You Are Here

Symbols

The desert symbolizes the empty relationship between the man and the woman. This is mirrored in the fridge magnet with the image of the universe. When looking at the magnet, the woman feels she is a “fleck of sand in an endless desert. So close to nothing” (ll. 41-42). It is suggested this is what she feels in her relationship with the man, who shows her no affection or understanding. This is connected to the phrase “You are here” (l.41), which is found in the title, too. The woman knows where she is but does not understand the place and cannot feel connected to it. She may be similarly confused about who she is.

The claustrophobic caravan and the fact that the man and woman cannot go out because of the heat (ll. 28-29) symbolize how they are stuck in an unhappy relationship they are unable to put an end to. This is also expressed by the contrast between the cramped, ugly environment of the caravan (ll. 1-5) and the beauty of the surroundings (ll. 6-8; l. 38) where they cannot go.