Mary Oliver’s diction and style conveys the theme of finding yourself by depicting a scene of someone walking a path on a journey to discover their voice. Through descriptive words presented in iambic pentameter, the reader is walking the same path as the character in the poem. This imaginary path is made possible through imagery constructed by the personification of obstacles, the mood based on the weather, and the connotations of different words used.  

A rhyming pattern is immediately established in the first two lines of the poem, “The Journey”. The rhyme adds style to the story and creates an iambic pentameter. Along with this rhyming scheme, the journey is immediately started, enrapturing the reader right in the middle of the story. Additionally, the reader is hooked for it is revealed that the character knew what they had to do, yet the reader is not informed of what they had to do. The second stanza incorporates the same line, yet there is no clear task outlined. It is through the descriptions of obstacles and word choice that the reader learns the character is overcoming their past and finding their voice. 

The obstacles the character is faced with are easily identifiable, such as bad advice, ankles being tugged, bad weather, and fallen branches and stones. Bad advice and the tugging at the ankles represents the influence of others on the character’s life. They are negative influences that are dragging the character back, keeping them from beginning their journey and being sure of themselves. The branches and stones are a suggestion of the cliché sticks and stones. Stick and stones may break your bones, but branches are larger than sticks, so what will they do? The branches may not have the same effect as sticks, but they represent that problems can be large scale, larger than sticks and stones. The bad weather is the tumultuous feelings raging inside the character. The character is at war with the past and future, deciding to follow their own path or be dragged back to the past by those calling out along the path. However easily identifiable these obstacles are, the author chose these words for the deeper meaning they convey to the reader. The clouds and prying wind paints a picture of a person walking down a tree lined path, where branches sway and break in the wind, falling onto the path. The path is dimly lit under the cover of the clouds that cover the sky thus making it difficult for the character to see the branches and stones on the path. All the while, they are running from a trembling house and people dragging them down with bad advice and pleas to ”’mend my life’” (Oliver 92). The author does not describe the scene, but one can be created in the readers’ mind through the words used to describe the harrows the character faces. 

As the poem progresses, the character overcomes the obstacles and begins to hear a voice; their own voice. It is through this one action that the poem changes direction and the character is on the lightened part of the path. The author clearly states the character has found their voice, but she also utilizes words such as burning stars and determination to convey the complete change over the course of the poem. The stars relate back to the scene that is painted in the mind of the reader. The clouds had been blocking the sky, but once the character allowed their voice to shine through, the stars burned brighter than the clouds that were obstructing them.

Oliver’s word choice not only depicts a scene, but also highlights the theme of the poem. “Deeper and deeper into the world” the person walks, yet their path becomes brighter and brighter (92). The deepness represents the darkness, darkness of the unknown. This darkness differs from the description of the cloudy sky that provides darkness in a physical setting compared to the darkness within someone and the emotional aspect of the fear of the unknown. Finding yourself can be scary, but it is not easy to surround yourself with others to guide you along the way. Selfishness plays into this causing the character to have to decide if they should continue on the path once the light shines through or if they should return to the entrance of the path and help those calling out for help. Selfishness as a subtopic of finding yourself is addressed through the phrases “company” and “only life you can save” (92). Abandoning company and accepting your voice as your only companion along with realizing you can only save yourself is where the true journey to finding yourself begins. Through the acceptance of these statements, you realize that you are your own person and cannot control those around you. You can only control your future and you need to go out there and find it.

Finding your future is simple: find your pathway. You may be held back by family and friends calling out for help and telling you not to follow the pathway or by bad days that make you want to turn around. But listen to yourself, figure out what you really want and come to terms with the fact that you can be an individual. Find that spark inside you and follow the light it emits to the end of your journey, where you will learn who you are and what you are made of. 