The passage reflects on the author's transition from boyhood to adulthood, marking the end of his true residency in Mohawk. While he continues to visit, his nostalgia is tinged with the reality that he has become one among many Americans who carry a piece of Mohawk within them. This shared experience now connects him to a broader community of wanderers, their memories propelling them forward on their journeys.

As he speaks of the longing for home, there is a sense of bittersweet acknowledgment that the further he travels, the more detached he becomes from any fixed place. Each return to Mohawk is merely a momentary pause before the inevitable departure, transforming the idea of home into a transient concept, continually pushing him further away until there might be nothing left to ground him.