




Mary Oliver’s poem “The Journey,” revolves around the main idea that life is a journey everyone faces. The ultimate goal of this poem is to show us that there are certain obstacles that we have to cross in order to find out who we truly are. She explains to us that life can be hard but we must be able to move past it. Mary Oliver wants us to become the person we truly want to be rather than have society shape us into a person we are not.   

The beginning of the poem tells us to listen to our own self and that is how we should get through life.  “One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began” indicates that we knew what we had to do already (92). Meaning that we should listen to our own self as we begin the journey of life. The “journey” in the poem is what the person goes through in life to become who they truly are. In the poem, Mary Oliver says “and there was a new voice, which you slowly recognized as your own, that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world. The first part of this quote “and there was a new voice, which you slowly recognized as your own” is the point where we find out who we truly are.  The second part of the quote “that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world,” says that once we find our voice there is nothing that can stop us as we make our way deeper into world overcoming the struggle. 

When we mention the word society it can be related to the word conformity. Conformity can also be known as the “social influence.” These certain types of social influences can cause us to change into a person we aren’t in order to fit in with others around us. In order to find our own “voices”, Mary Oliver challenges us to listen to ourselves and use the inner voice we have in our head to lead us down the right path. For instance in line 3, “though the voices around you kept shouting,” represents the voices in society (92). These voices in society can shape us into someone we are not. Mary Oliver wants us to know that these voices are the distractions that can discourage us and we should only listen ourselves. The voices of society do nothing but scream bad advice to others. They influence and pressure us to do things we do not want to partake in, yet we still intend to do them. Mary Oliver leaves us with a task to find our own voice in the world instead of having the world shape us into someone else. With any society, there are always people that come ask for help. In line 10, Oliver says:  “Mend my life! each voice cried,” meaning that there are always people in need of care (92). Mary Oliver wants us to know that people seeking help is also another type of distraction we face in our journey of life. For example, the people crying out for help can also take us away from listening to our own voice. Yet apart from society, there can always be instances where we take another’s help. Such as help from our parents, mentors, and people who want us to be successful in life. As Mary Oliver wants us to find our own path and way, we should also take advice from others. Advice that can help us become a better person rather than being pressured into doing something we know is wrong. 

The climax of this poem is when Mary Oliver says “But little by little, as you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds, and there was a new voice” (92). The meaning of this line is to suggest the obstacles we must overcome as we find our own voice. As Oliver says, “But little by little” she suggests that it takes time to overcome the obstacles (92). We can’t really face our obstacles in a matter of one day, it would take time but slowly we eventually do defeat them in the end. After that she says, “as you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds,” which means that there is a moment of light taking place (92). This is what symbolizes the change or transformation as we break away from others in society in order to become our self as a new voice. 

From different types of distractions and social norms, Mary Oliver wants us to be true to our self as we go through the path of life. The goal of this poem is to show that no matter what we go through, we eventually do get through the journey. Yet at the same time, she wants us to be different from what society wants us to be. 

