Throughout In the Folk Museum Skrzynecki expresses his inability to connect with the contents of a local museum, showcasing the history of Australian culture. The dull and dark undertone of the poem devalues the meaningless list of culturally relevant “machinery, clothes and transport” that just “reminds him(me) of a past which isn’t his(mine)”.  He observes a caretaker that is physically and mentally connected to the museum; the history, she doesn’t look up acknowledge him, personifying the feeling of dissociation between the persona and Australian culture. By the act of visiting the museum Skrzynecki is showing a distinct want to understand the Australian culture so as to fit in, but the massive difference in his past forms a metaphorical barrier to his understanding. The direct speech in the last line of the poem coupled with the physical contact when the old woman’s hand “touches his(mine)” shows how desperate  the want for Skryznecki to connect is; society wants him to understand so he can fit in. But he still leaves the museum quickly “without looking back” because his attempts to connect are defeated by his past.