The power that comes with the ability to say no, to have a voice or say in a situation can make or break a person because having a voice can prevent one from being influenced by voices since one then has the power to say no. In Mary Oliver’s work, “The Journey”, Oliver shows how a person can be held back by outside voices that hinder her from forming her own voice. Oliver wants to show that listening to outside voices means that the character’s identity is lost due to how he listens and follows the voices around him which in turn hold back the character’s true self in the beginning. Upon finding a little voice known as the conscious though the character in this story is able to rebound, and save herself from continuing to live through other voices and not her own which in turn gives the character a genuine identity. 

From the get go of The Journey Oliver writes of a character that is confused with how she should overcome obstacles. Oliver writes, “though the voices around you / kept shouting / their bad advice-” (3-5). Voices in this poem directly pertains to the problems and obstacles that come along with being a follower. A follower simply follows and the character is the epitome of a follower because she does not use her own voice to go against the bad advice. This means that her identity as a person is confused, and makes it harder for her to be happy because the character is stuck in a rut from trying to find happiness through other people’s voices. Outside voices brought her down because instead of listening to herself she was listening to others.  Only oneself can be oneself, so trying to emulate the other voices or be something you are not will bring one down because their identity is confused. This is not saying that listening to outside voices is bad, but in this text outside voices are what keep her from being her own person. The more Oliver listens to the outside voice the more she becomes trapped in a world of problems because she is confused with what she wants to be. Oliver also points out there are multiple voices because she writes, ““Mend my life!” each voice cried.” (10-11). At first glance the phrase, mend my life, can simply mean that others want her help, but in actuality it is what the character wants from listening to other people. The character thinks that her problems, and insecurities with herself will just go away by trying to be the way others are. The voices continue to feed off each other because as the character continues to listen she starts to become more and more insecure of what her own voice is. Only one person can live out their own journey meaning another person cannot live life for you and vice versa because we all are different, so acting like something you are not will only lead one to be miserable. 

“The Journey” starts with the line, “One day you finally knew” (1). Oliver knew what she had to, but as said before the other voices are what kept her from just being her. A breaking point does occur and that allows her to finally break from other voices. As Oliver says, “It was already late / enough, and a wild night, / and the road full of fallen / branches and stones.” (19-22). Growing up into a person is a transformation which takes a lot of trial and error. For example, “Branches” or “stones” are the voices that the character listens too which in turn cause some problems, but those problems did not kill her. Some of scariest and hardest times in life allow for nothing but improvement. 

When she finally is able to break through the “clouds” and find her own voice she realizes that her own voice actually keeps her company. This voice she finds is her conscious which is huge because now the character can rely on her own genuine inner thoughts and voice to make her own decisions. Oliver writes, “and there was a new voice / which you slowly / recognized as your own, / that kept you company” (27-30). The old Oliver did not feel comfortable when she was by herself, but now she does feel comfortable because she has found her own voice. Now that she is comfortable with her voice she has confidence, and have the want, desire, and ability to say, and act however she wants because she no longer cares what other voices say which at the same time allows her to develop a true identity and character as a person. Living life with a conscious allows her to dive deep into the world because now she can also be comfortable with the people around her. Oliver writes, “as you strode deeper and deeper / into the world, / determined to do / the only thing you could do- / determined to save / the only life you could save.” (31-36). This quote stands out because we are all individuals, so every individual makes choices that are either positive or negative depending on how they want to live their life. Once she found her own voice Oliver was then able to actually experience the world because before she was always concerned with what other people were thinking or wanted in a situation, but now she can kick back and relax and take the world in. 

Mary Oliver’s poem, The Journey, brings up important facts about life regarding how having a conscious allows for one to grow as a person. She does not have a voice in the beginning because of how caught up she is in the voices that she lets control her life due to insecurities. The voices make her a follower which prevents her from feeling secured, and confident which prevents her from enjoying life. She knew she was living her life wrong, but it took a learning experiences also known as a few bumps to finally leave her old inscurities behind. By leaving that behind the character now is comfortable with herself because she now has her own inner voice. The power that come with that voice is limitless. She now is able to experience her life through her own set of lenses because her own voice is making the decisions. 
