The first supposition about the meaning was about the domination of men on women because of the central photography with the girl lying on the floor and the man’s hand on her neck. But quickly, they found a lot of other suppositions because they noticed that the girl seemed absolutely disinterested, so they wondered who was acting or who was dominating in reality. They raised the question of the sexual relationship such as BDSM and sexual abuse: the background with nature works like the idealization of relationship and the hands remind the brutality of the real life and the violence of the sexual act in itself. The position of the girl is also a clue to the supposition of the surrender of women on the male domination.

They noticed that the woman is Asian: they made a link between the colonization and the phantasm about exotic women sometimes used as a sort of “tool” like the indigenes used as models for Gauguin’s paintings. It can be a satirical view of the appropriation of the lands, the culture and the pressure on the native population.

Un soldat jeune, lèvre bouche ouverte, tête nue,
Et la nuque baignant dans le frais cresson bleu,
Dort ; il est étendu dans l'herbe sous la nue,
Pâle dans son lit vert où la lumière pleut.

Les pieds dans les glaïeuls, il dort. Souriant comme
Sourirait un enfant malade, il fait un somme :
Nature, berce-le chaudement : il a froid.

Les parfums ne font pas frissonner sa narine ;
Il dort dans le soleil, la main sur sa poitrine
Tranquille. Il a deux trous rouges au côté droit.

On se le demande souvent. 

D'où je ne viens pas serait à mon avis une meilleure question

Que signifient ces souvenirs ?

Il fait froid ici. Le sol est glacé.

Que signifient ces mots ? 

On ferait mieux de rentrer. Mais dis moi,