In Adrienne Rich's poem, "Diving into the Wreck," she explores the theme of identity. Her speaker has gone into the water on a diving expedition to explore a wreck. At the end of the poem, the speaker comes up from the water and notes that she (and we all) return from the exploration with a knife, a camera, and a book of myths "in which our names do not appear."

The book of myths Rich refers to is a symbolic book that states how people should think, look, or behave. It is society's way of dictating people's behaviors. Rich, however, makes a journey of self-discovery when she dives down to see the wreck and decides that her identity is her own--not to be dictated by society. Her name does not appear in the book because she has become empowered through her quest. The use of the pronoun "we" suggests that the speaker thinks we need to do likewise and determine our own way of being and acting, despite what society might tell us.