The Speaker
The speaker is a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany, torn between hope and resignation. They are haunted by memories of the home they've fled, as well as by the current reality they face. They are barred from becoming integrated into their new country by both social stigma and anti-refugee policy. The speaker turns to the natural world, finding both hope and envy as they encounter animals free from human oppression. By the end of the poem, it seems that even the speaker's dreams have become saturated with images of exclusion and oppression. However, the speaker maintains a patient, affectionate tone as they address a loved one—perhaps a family member—explaining sadly but kindly the forces that keep refugees living as outsiders.
Speaker's Loved One
Though this character is never named, and their relationship to the speaker is never articulated specifically, the speaker addresses the poem to this individual. They may be the speaker's spouse or child. Regardless, it is clear that this is someone the speaker cares for and feels protective of, which is why the poem's tone is tender despite the harsh truths it contains. It also seems that this character is more naive or less knowledgeable than the speaker, since the speaker seems to find it necessary to explain the desperate situation they share.
The Consul
A consul is a government official who diplomatically handles certain relationships and issues between two specific countries. Here, an unnamed consul serves as a stand-in for the inhumanity and silliness of government bureaucracy and immigration policy. The consul angrily denies the speaker's personhood, even when the two are face-to-face. He violently insists that any person without a passport is considered dead, in a particularly vivid image of the indignities that refugees like the speaker must deal with.
