Mary Oliver’s poem, “The Journey”, is a narrative on the many obstacles one must overcome in order to forge their own path. The way the poem is written makes the reader the subject of the poem because everyone must overcome an obstacle of some form in their life. “The Journey” illustrates the very real struggles everyone must go through to discover something in their life, whether it is their own destiny or their self-worth. Oliver’s poem states that the journey of life is difficult, but she knows that everyone must go through it. Although not stated within the lines of the poem, Oliver hints that the journey of life is a person’s own journey to discover themselves.

The first stanza of Oliver’s poem begins with a realization the reader comes to, which is just the beginning of their journey. When Oliver writes, “One day you finally knew / what you had to do”, she hints that the reader is coming to a realization of their own self-worth as they are fighting against the pull of the voices (92). When Oliver writes that “you felt the old tug / at your ankles”, she suggests that this struggle has been going on for a while, which helps illustrate the fact that discovering oneself is a long, arduous journey. In the next line, Oliver writes that the voices shouted “‘Mend my life!’ / …but you didn’t stop”, showing the reader’s transformation after realizing that it is not their obligation to always put everyone’s needs before their own. Though it is not specifically stated that the voices crying out for the reader are always in need of their help, one can infer that the voices have some kind of power over the reader. Because the voices cry out to the reader, there is some form of impediment in their journey, which is always something one must overcome when going on a mission to discover themselves. While the reader is facing many obstacles in this journey, Oliver’s tone shows that the reader is slowly realizing their own self-worth while they continue down their path of self-discovery. 

Oliver begins the second stanza restating that the reader “knew what you had to do”, as they continue their journey. The restatement of what she wrote in the first two lines of the poem symbolizes the need to constantly remind oneself to keep fighting in order to accomplish their journey. This stanza in the poem parallels a person’s obstacles when they try to reach their goals. Oliver uses personification to show the wind using “its stiff fingers” to pry “at the very foundations” of the reader’s psyche in order to stop them from continuing on their path. Oliver continues to show the impediments of one’s journey by writing that the road was “full of fallen branches and stones”, showing a physical example of an impediment on the journey that accompanies one’s journey of self-discovery. Oliver’s line about the road can also symbolize the lost hopes and dreams from people who have taken the journey of self-discovery but failed because the journey of one’s self-worth can be a difficult and strenuous task. Oliver continues to show progress throughout the second stanza as she begins to move into the final stanza of the poem.  Oliver’s tone in this stanza reflects the progress that the reader is making, which is gradually getting more hopeful towards the end.

The final stanza in Oliver’s poem finally illustrates the reader’s triumph of discovering themselves after the journey. Oliver begins this stanza by writing “little by little…you left their voices behind”, showing the reader’s transformation from someone who relied on the voices of others to someone who now relies on themselves. In the later lines she writes, “there was a new voice, / which you slowly / recognized as your own”, showing that the reader finally discovered their own voice throughout their journey. With the reader finding their own voice, they can now rely on themselves and have no need for the voices and other impediments that appeared in the first two stanzas. The new voice “kept [the reader] company” during the journey, showing that their own voice will always be there to support them, making them more independent. The reader’s newly found voice also keeps them company as they continue “deeper and deeper / into the world”. At this point in the poem, the reader has pushed past all of the obstacles and voices and finally realizes that they are worth more than others have made them think they were. Now that the reader has finally found themselves, they can “save / the only life you could save” ---their own, finally reaching the conclusion that their mission has been accomplished. Oliver’s conclusion of the poem signifies all of the actions one must take on their own personal journey, masterfully illustrating the obstacles and the final triumph the reader experiences throughout its stanzas. 

In conclusion, the reader finally overcomes all the obstacles and voices trying to hold them back in order to discover their own voice and finally learns to rely on themselves. Oliver’s poem describes one’s journey of self-discovery through overcoming obstacles and other impediments as well as learning to rely on oneself and no one else. The journey to find oneself takes time and cannot be done in a single day, which is why the reader took so long in the poem. The journey to discover oneself is a difficult and harrowing quest that many people try to accomplish, but not all succeed, but in this case the reader relied on themselves and triumphed. Mary Oliver’s poem reflects not only the reader’s journey, but also everyone’s own personal journey to discover their own voice or learn to finally rely on themselves.
