“One day you finally knew” (Oliver, line 1).  Knew what? Knew that you had to leave? Knew that you had to forget? To move on? To be yourself? The author of “The Journey” Mary Oliver uses the literary device, symbolism throughout the poem to connect the meaning of the story to the readers own thoughts and experience. The symbolism in this case is used to connect the readers through the journey of life. Multiple examples have been given to make this point come across. Symbolism is expressed through the structure of the poem, references to natures weather, and the obstacles faced in a journey. By 

Within the poem Oliver structures her poem in a unique way. Starting from the first couple of lines “One day you finally knew/ what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you/ kept shouting/their bad advice--/ though the whole house/ began to tremble/ and you felt the old tug/ at your ankles.” (Oliver, lines 1-9) By performing close readings, you can see that there’s little punctuation. Due to the little punctuation it creates a run on sentence. The run on sentence can symbolize that life never stops. Life continues no matter what. The punctuation and structure of the poem also creates an urgency and need to accomplish the journey. The poem also contains little breaks to symbolize the pause people need in life. Another example of having a run on sentence would be on lines 23 through 36. By having a run on sentence throughout the poem it creates the feeling of being rushed, as if your lost in the woods trying to find your way out. The structure of the poem creates an interesting why to intemperate the poem.

The description and usage of nature’s weather is also used to symbolize societies typical standards holding back an individual who wants to pursue something different. When people think of societies basic standards one can think of having a family of four, maintaining a well-paying job, marrying the opposite sex, etc. The quote “though the wind pried/ with its stiff fingers/ at the very foundations” (Oliver, lines 14-15) is an example of how social standards are being pushed into our thoughts and feelings. The lines “though the wind pried/ with its stiff fingers” (Oliver, line 14-15) uses the wind can be a reference to how the social norm is typically taught and preached throughout life and how it can cause confusion among individuals who are unsure of what they want and what they feel. When analyzing the following line “At the very foundations” (Oliver, line 16) the word “foundation” is typically associated as the basic building structure of a process. Taking that idea into account, can the word “foundation” symbolize a person’s basic mentality or way of living?  Another example of nature’s weather symbolizing the social norm is on lines 25 and 26 “the stars began to burn, through the sheets of clouds.” When lost in the woods, people are often told to look for the north star or the big dipper to find their way to safety.  Clouds typically blocks the suns’ rays, thus creating shade and sometime darkness. In reference to these two theories the stars are used to refer to the guidance of the individual through the cloud of judgement from society. The setting of the poem takes place in a woodsy area, which contributes to the underlining theme of the poem.

When discussing the journey of life, an individual can say that life isn’t easy. That there’s always going be obstacles in your way and that there’ll always be challenges that tests your ability to overcome them. In the poem symbolism is used in reference to obstacles usually faced on a journey in the woods. Symbolism occurs in the phrase “and the road full of fallen/ branches and stones.” (Oliver, lines 21-22) The phrase is a reference to how life is difficult.  The line associated with the fallen branches can be associated with the idea that there’s going to be people, ideas, and situations that will stop you from achieving what you want. The line that follows the previous quote continues on as “But little by little, / as you left their voices behind,” (Oliver, lines 23 and 24). This line can be a reference to the well-known phrase “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” What if the words really did hurt? What if this is the reason why the person in the poem is on this journey? By leaving the voices behind, the individual in the poem is deviating away from the known path into the unknown. The use of actual obstacles faced on a journey is a great way to symbolize the struggles in life.

Poems contain an endless amount of literary devices.  The poem, “The Journey” by Mary Oliver is no exception. It’s a fact that the literary device, Symbolism played an important role in telling the story about a journey through life. Symbolism was shown through the structure of the poem, references to natures weather, and the obstacles faced in a journey.  Through close readings there could be many more meanings with the poem. Symbolism has the effect to mean anything to anybody. Readers may interpret the poem differently than one another. “The Journey” by Mary Oliver contains unique qualities of symbolism to convey the underlining message.