“The Journey” by Mary Oliver is a poem that tells an impactful and personal story about finding one’s individuality. Oliver uses an extended metaphor to compare the physical journey one will take in order to make progress in their spiritual journey towards individuality. Tone, personification, and imagery are used to create and develop the extended metaphor throughout the poem. 

Oliver uses two tones throughout “The Journey,” which are sorrowful and free. Tone is important in this piece because it helps the reader to see the point where the person is set free of their sorrow and finds their individuality. A hint of sadness is first detected when Oliver says “though the voice around you/kept shouting/their bad advice” (Oliver lines 3-5). The tone of sadness is continued by words typically associated with sadness such as cried, melancholy, and terrible. The same voices that were originally shouting bad advice are now crying out “’Mend my life!’” (Oliver line 10). With these few lines Oliver is trying to prove that individuals are surrounded by people who will try to hold them back and keep them from doing what they desire to do. In order for one to make progress in their journey to find individuality, they must block out the bad advice others will try to give them. An individual’s mind must be cautious enough to weed out the bad advice, but open enough to take in the good advice. Eventually, “there was a new voice/which you slowly/recognized as your own” (Oliver lines 27-29). This “new” voice is a different voice that is no longer shouting bad advice. This voice is now keeping “…you company/as you strode deeper and deeper/into the world” (Oliver lines 30-32). At this point in “The Journey,” the person Oliver is speaking to finally recognizes that in order to find their individuality they must listen to themselves and block out any other voice. This “new” voice is the product of an individual finally deciding to listen to their inner thoughts. The individual no longer has to listen to the harshness of others and can continue their journey. As the reader, we know the individual is now free from the bad advice of others when Oliver says “But little by little/as you left their voices behind” (Oliver lines 23-24). This is the turning point in the poem where the tone changes from sorrowful to free. Along with tone, personification and imagery are also used to describe the difficult journey an individual will go on to find individuality. 

In “The Journey,” Oliver uses personification to add human like qualities to nonhuman things. Personification is first used when “…the whole house/began to tremble” (Oliver lines 6-7). The house in “The Journey” can be considered as a person’s body because embarking on a new journey to find individually can be scary, which can lead to the physical effect of trembling. The second occurrence of personification is when “…the wind pried/with its stiff fingers/at the very foundations” (Oliver lines 14-16). The wind is personified into a hand that is trying to pry its way into a person’s life. Oliver is trying to warn the individual that these hands are malicious and forceful. These hands will try to rock the individual’s foundation because it will have the most impact on their journey. Similar to the prying hands, the wind could easily sweep someone up and keep them from getting back on their feet to complete their journey. 

Imagery is used in two specific places throughout “The Journey.” The first instance of imagery is used in the beginning of the poem when Oliver says “and you felt the old tug/at your ankles” (Oliver lines 8-9). The tugging at an individual’s ankles symbolize the people who are holding them back from finding their individuality. This person then has to make the decision to continue to let the needs of others bog them down or to break free and put their needs first. The second instance of imagery is used towards the middle of the poem when Oliver says “and the road full of fallen/branches and stones” (Oliver lines 21-22). The fallen branches and stones represent all of the people who are facing the same obstacles as others who are also on a journey to individuality. However, an individual has to realize that they cannot help others find their individually if they have not yet found it for themselves. Both instances of imagery in “The Journey” are different, but relate closely to each other. The fallen branches and stones are the other people that will tug at a person’s ankles and hold an individual back from continuing their journey. These people who have fallen down are trying to hold onto anything they possibly can in order to save themselves, even if it means holding another individual back. This individual then has to power through in order to continue on their journey. 

Oliver makes great use of a single extended metaphor throughout “The Journey” by comparing a physical journey to a spiritual journey towards finding individuality. Tone, personification, and imagery are used to guide the extended metaphor throughout the poem. These literary devices are used to describe obstacles that will hold an individual back from their journey. All of these devices intertwine because they represent something greater than words and physical objects. Tone is used as a mental obstacle for a person when the voices “kept shouting/their bad advice” (Oliver lines 4-5) and cried out “Mend my life!” (Oliver lines 10). Personification is used when “…the whole house/began to tremble” (Oliver lines 6-7) and when “…the wind pried/with its stiff fingers” (Oliver lines 14-15). Finally, Imagery is first seen when “…you felt the old tug/at your ankles” (Oliver lines 8-9) and then when Oliver says “…the road full of fallen/branches and stones” (Oliver lines 21-22). Personification and imagery are used to describe the physical part of the journey one will take. The winds stiff fingers are tugging at the individual’s ankles, while the fallen branches and stones make it hard for the individual to manoeuver around. The wind is representing others trying to get into your mind, while the branches and stones represent other individuals that are experiencing the same obstacles. In order for a person to become their true self, they must push through these obstacles, which is the turning point of tone in the poem. 

Oliver uses tone, personification, imagery, and an extended metaphor to paint a picture of the difficult journey a person will face to find their individuality. It is up to the individual to choose to be their own person and move past all of the obstacles that may be put in their way. This journey is important to the reader because it is a journey that every individual makes at some point in their lifetime. 
