Air is seen as male because of the association with “the breath of life” and dynamics of storms and winds. In conjunction with that, air is the medium in which movement occurs and is also the element that surrounds everything in nature. This is suggestive of the male's sexual embrace of a woman. Air is featured many times throughout the play. It is mentioned when Yerma speaks of the wind singing in the trees and when she raises her arms and yawns, which is significant of the deep ritualistic inhalation of the air that made the Earth fertile. Since Yerma cannot be like the Earth and yield or be passive, she must be active in the manifestation of her sexuality. This is what the old woman tried to tell Yerma, and because the old woman is as free as air, she has had two husbands and given birth to fourteen children. Air is also a subject of interest when Juan berates Yerma for her obsession "with things that drift in the air." Juan, again, does not exhibit the masculine nature that Yerma desperately hopes for. Víctor, however, embodies the masculine element. In one instance, Yerma goes to the spot where he last stood and takes a deep breath to inhale natural virility. She realizes that he has always had the potential to fill her fully, but alas she is too late and out of honor chooses to stay with Juan.