The speaker is largely absent from the poem, only appearing in the final lines. This emotional distance allows for numerous personal interpretations of the speaker’s identity. Initially, they appear to be one of the restless dead. Alternatively, they may be a living person local to the area who contrasts the dead spirits with the tourists, both familiar sights. It’s only in the closing stanza that the speaker’s own thoughts and feelings begin to emerge: they are looking for a place to call home.