Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel seems galaxies away.  Life is not worth living without meaning.  Does an absence of purpose mean an absence of life?  Pondering one’s purpose in life is an age old question.  The innate human need to find meaning pinches the hearts each and every day.  Eventually, one must decide his own mission and push through despite adversity.  In Mary Oliver’s poem, “The Journey”, she explores the notion of finding and pursuing purpose in one’s life.  Through the use of word choice, symbolism, and metaphors Oliver exposes the reader to the challenges of finding one’s life mission and sticking to it. 

Within the first lines of the poem, the reader sees the speaker’s prior frustration through Oliver’s word choice.  The speaker is relieved because one has “finally” (1) discovered what to do in life.  The word “finally’ shows frustration because it alludes to the culmination of an extensive journey.  Furthermore, the reader understands the incessant hardship of the “old tug”, as an aspect which prolonged the process the speaker refers to.  In addition to the “old tug”, the speaker describes all the “bad advice” (5) one must go through while searching for meaning.  The reader infers that one must take numerous difficult steps when searching for a plan. The reader might think the hardest part of life is finding one’s purpose; however, the real test is sticking to one’s purpose.  

Adversity sits behind every corner waiting to sway one away from his/her mission.  Oliver personifies wind to symbolize life’s adversity. The speaker states that the wind previously “pried” (14) with “stiff fingers” (15) at the lives of those who have found meaning in life.  Oliver choose to describe adversity as wind because a breeze is always present.  Breeze can transform into a gust at any moment; just as life’s challenging tests can come out of nowhere.  The reader is able to see what adversity or “wind” attacks due to Oliver’s double meaning of the word “foundations” (16).  Wind literally tests the strength of a building’s foundations but wind figuratively tests one’s foundations constructed on personal core values or beliefs.  If one is not morally confident, life will blow away any direction one possesses. 

Attempting to fulfill one’s calling in life is no minuscule task.  In order depict the task to the reader, Oliver uses a metaphor comparing it to a “road full of fallen branches and stones” (21-22).  In the metaphor, the “branches and stones” symbolize those who either never found their purpose, or those who failed to fulfill their mission; those that “kept shouting their bad advice” (Oliver 5-6).  The syntax of the poem also eludes to the ongoing process of life.  “The Journey” is composed of multiple run on sentences.  The sentences seem to never end, similar to how the process to find meaning often seems infinite.  Oliver also uses other literary devices to convey his message.   

Oliver uses a metaphor to instill a certain mood in the poem.  To evoke an eerie feeling in the reader, he uses a metaphor comparing life’s negative aspects to “sheets of clouds” (26).  The reader pictures a gloomy night with no end in sight.  The seemingly depressing mood represents life’s agonizing events that are nearly unavoidable. On the contrary, the reader feels a sense of hope when the “stars began to burn” (25) the clouds.  If the reader digs deep, he is able to see that Oliver is symbolizing he positive things in life through the stars.  He believes one is able to persevere through anything if can commit to being an optimistic person and looking for the good in the world.  When one is able to focus on his mission and not the negative parts of life, he/she is changed.

One will never be the same once he/she discovers their meaning and how to stick to it.  Oliver says one will acquire a “new voice” (27) that will become his “own” (29) and “keep” him “company” (30).  This “new voice” is the voice of independence, which is gained by learning to think for oneself.  Once one can think on his own, all the it is important now is what he does with it; Oliver pleads for action.  Through the repletion of the words “determined” (33) and “deeper” (31), the reader understands that it is imperative to dive into one’s mission once he/she has the voice to do so. Oliver’s conclusion “to save the only life you can save” (35-36) organizes all the points in the poem.  The reader opens his eyes and sees that he can only control one person in his life… himself. 

“The Journey”, a poem by Mary Oliver, ponders the process of finding and fulfilling one’s purpose in life.  By examining Oliver’s use of literary devices, the reader learns that the key to feeling fulfilled and content with life is to control one’s own actions.  Oliver speaks directly to the reader and urges him to ponder his life (insight gained from in class peer review). However, the poem lacks specifics, therefore causing each individual reader to evaluate his own purpose of existence. 
