Throughout time, innovation has been pushed by individual thought in all walks of life, from scientific discoveries to works of art. Individual thought and self-reliance is what pushes the boundaries of what the world thinks is possible; without individuals willing to push the envelope it is likely the world would still be in the dark ages. Mary Oliver recognizes the importance of thinking for yourself and not letting society get in the way and displays these values in the poem The Journey. Although it is a relatively short poem, Oliver’s words extend far off the page into a much bigger conversation. Mary Oliver is able to say so much about the importance of individualism through a combination of using real world allusions, phenomenal word choice, and the second person point of view.

Oliver repeatedly uses physical, real life situations to allude to much bigger underlying mental and identity issues. The Journey contains a line stating “the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug at your ankles” (Oliver 92) to explain what the pressure of society feels like. Throughout the entirety of the poem Oliver uses “the voices” in reference to society, and “you” not only in reference to the reader but also herself. These references are used as a tool to simplify a much more complex mental battle of individualism versus fitting in and the pressures of society. Upon reading further it can also be inferred that Oliver is a stark advocate for individualism by analyzing lines like “But little by little, as you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn through sheets of clouds, and there was a new voice that you slowly recognize as your own” (Oliver 92). The allusion of the sun shining through the clouds is juxtaposing individual 

thought against the societal hive mind, where as the sunbeams represent individual thought and the clouds represent collective thought. The sun is often seen as a nice and pleasant symbol, while clouds often symbolize bad weather, and somberness, which demonstrates Oliver’s stance on individualism and collectiveness.

As well as using allusions to real world situations, Oliver uses the rarely used medium of second person point of view to advocate for personal thought and self-reliance. The second point of view forces the reader to immediately be invested in the poem on a more personal level and provokes self-thought, which is what being an individual is all about. There are many lines in The Journey that would be drastically changed if this poem were written in a different style. For example, the first line reads, “One day you finally knew” (Oliver 92) opposed to “One day I finally knew”. Oliver made the choice of using second person in this narrative poem because it transforms the poem into the reader’s personal narrative. Instead of it being Oliver’s journey, which could be read without personal attachment, it now reads as the reader’s personal journey that encompasses what individualism is about, personal thought and self-reliance. The conclusion of the poem reads “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 can save” (Oliver 92). This line once again puts the focus on “you” and even going as far as saying one can only save themselves. Individualism is about self-reliance and the conclusion is saying that an individual can only save himself or herself, the greater collective cannot. Without creative and individual thought the world would be nothing and Oliver clearly agrees that one must make their own choices by thinking freely for 

themselves and understanding the importance of individuality. Another detail supporting Oliver’s passion for individuality is how she chose to use such a rarely used point of view. Oliver did not shy away from using the second person point of view, even though the mainstream public would never have thought about doing so. The use of “you” makes one the star of the story, just like how ones the star of their own life.

Oliver never blatantly says in The Journey to be your own person and not to rely on others for help because she did not have to. Through the use of many different literary devices she was able to establish a clear message. The battle of self versus society is very complex with many different moving parts, but through the use of allusions, Oliver is able to break down the idea in much simpler terms, but also is able to provoke thought with her allusions. The thought that society is a bunch of voices telling you what to do makes this a great way to explain all of the pressures an individual will deal with through their life. In the end, Oliver explains the only voice that does matter is one’s own. The Journey is about everyone’s individual battle between figuring out who they are and who society wants them to be, not about literally walking through a path blocked by a bunch of fallen sticks.