The unnamed narrator is a solitary traveler walking away from a familiar place under the light of a full moon. Driven by an unspoken imperative, the narrator leaves without looking back, stepping steadily through the moonlit dust. The traveler experiences intense internal conflict, trying to use logic—such as the fact that the earth is round—to calm an anxious heart about leaving.

The Love is the unnamed person the narrator leaves behind at the beginning of the journey. Remaining in the familiar, quiet rural environment, this person represents the emotional comfort and stability the narrator abandons. The exact nature of their bond is unspecified, but the memory of this individual dominates the narrator's thoughts on the open road.