We Are Not from Here

Pulga does not have much to put into his backpack when he leaves home besides a change of clothing and his Walkman with his father’s mixtape. Those articles are a strong representation of the home he is leaving behind, as is the emptiness of the backpack itself; it symbolizes the unfulfilled life Pulga faces in Guatemala. In this way the backpack is a symbol that contributes to themes of family and home. Pulga travels the duration of his long and traumatic trip to the border with the backpack, losing it only when he is sent to the migrant detention center, where he must exchange it for a random number, suggesting the dehumanizing effects of the detention center. When he is released to the guardianship of his father’s sister, he reclaims the backpack, noting with complete sincerity to the guard’s snide remark that the backpack does indeed represent his whole life. He carries t life his old life with him as he leaves with his aunt, and may be ready to fill it with new things after he recovers.