Robert Frost’s line, “two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by” is an accurate representation of what the author Mary Oliver has done her entire life.  From not getting a college degree to her sexual orientation, Oliver has always taken the road less traveled by.  Mary Oliver was born in 1935 in Ohio and attended both the University of Ohio and Vassar College.  She never received a degree from either.  Oliver, as a writer, is put into the same category as poets such as Walt Whitman and Edna St. Vincent Millay.  The poem “The Journey” speaks about the idea of following your own paths and not allowing others to influence you.  Some may find the poem to be about restriction and confinement, but Mary Oliver’s use of words and metaphors all contribute to the overall theme of finding yourself and being free. 

Oliver repeatedly uses the word “you” in the poem to demonstrate the concept that you are the one in control, and you are the one making decisions.  For example, “you felt the old tug at your ankles”, speaks to the reader and shows how they are in control (Oliver).   Another case of this is, “You didn’t stop; you knew what you had to do”; which shows that the person in the poem is yet again making the decisions (Oliver).  The word “you” provokes an idea of selfishness.  What comes to mind when you think of the word “you”?  It is most likely yourself. You become introspective, and that causes the reader to look at oneself.  The speaker is no longer thinking of others, but themselves.  At the beginning of the poem, Oliver speaks of the idea that the person was having others control their lives and decisions, but her use of the word “you,” shows the new beginning, a fresh start.  You, you, you on repeat has the reader feeling in control of their own life.  The repetition of the word "you" makes sure the reader knows who is in control.  The poem is not talking about other people; it is only talking about you.  This repetition is what hooks the reader, and promotes the underlying meaning of selfishness and being your own person.  Oliver uses the repetition to not only keep the reader entertained, but also hammer in her idea of individuality.  She does not go straight out and say that is the meaning, but the underlying context of the word “you” pulls it out.

In the poem, Mary Oliver uses negatively connoted words with the life the person is running away from, and positively connoted words with the life she is running towards.  She uses words to describe the old life as a negative.  The “old tug at your ankles” is negative (Oliver).  It is the past holding you back.  She uses this negatively to show that the person is running toward their future and that it is now their choice.  Oliver also associates the old life with words such as “bad advice” and “melancholy” (Oliver).  Both words are true negatives, and she uses this to further push the idea that the old life the person is running away from is bad.  These words help to pinpoint that the old is bad, and that the new is where the person in the poem wants to be.  These negatively connoted words help the reader to understand Oliver’s point.  The old was holding the person back, and it is now the person’s decision to start fresh.  The phrase “you felt the old tug at your ankles” continues to show how the person in the poem was being controlled by others, and was letting them influence their decisions (Oliver).  The negative connotation of that phrase is what shows the readers it is bad, and not supposed to be that way.

Towards the end of the poem, the phrases begin to become more positive.  “As you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn,” this shows that the person’s life is starting to turn around (Oliver).  The idea that the past was what was holding them back, and without it they are prospering.  It is their choice to start fresh, and that is what makes it better.  This furthers the idea that the overall theme is about finding yourself and being free from what others think.  When one is able to make their own decisions, they are able to find true happiness.  When people hold you back, they are hindering your life experience.  Oliver continues to exemplify this throughout the poem with her use of words.

Oliver also continually uses a metaphor of voices to prove her point that it is paramount to find yourself, and thus make your own decisions.  Oliver says, “that the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice”; this shows how the voices are a negative and that you should not listen to them (Oliver).   One crucial quote in this poem is, “Mend my life! Each voice cried. But you didn’t stop” (Oliver).  The voices Oliver is referring to are the people asking for a handout.  They are the ones asking for favors and help.  The fact that the person did not stop, shows that the poem is about being selfish.  People will always ask for help, but it is your right to decide if it is time to focus on yourself.  This also promotes the idea of freedom, since the person is now able to make the decision to not stop, and to continue on their path to finding themselves.  

The metaphor of voices begins to change throughout the poem; from the negative ones holding you back, to the positive ones pushing you forward.  Oliver states how, “there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper…”; this portrays that your own voice will guide you and that you should be looking at yourself for answers (Oliver).  Without people telling you what to do, you are no longer bogged down by nonsense, and you can then make your own decisions based on what you want to do.  Oliver’s use of the voices shows both the negatives and the positives.  The negatives being the voices of the outside world, while the positive voice being your own.  She makes it very clear that the only voice you should be listening to is your own.  This idea contributes to the theme of listening to yourself and finding your own path.  The voices can bog you down, but it is your responsibility to choose not to listen.  Oliver uses the metaphor of voices to show how a person can benefit from them and find themselves.

“The Journey” by Mary Oliver is a poem on self-discovery.  The poem’s theme is about finding yourself and making your own decisions.  It speaks to the idea of not letting others influence you, and that the only person in control of you is yourself.  Oliver proves this point through both her diction and lasting metaphors.  The diction will change throughout the poem to prove her point.  The negative being the past and the people holding you back, while the positive being the new beginning.  The fresh start is yours for the making.  It shows how the only way to be happy is to allow yourself to be in control.  Be the driver of your own life.  The “voices” you hear can only make you better.  Choose to listen to them or choose to ignore them; that is your prerogative.  This corresponds with Oliver’s theme of not letting others influence your decisions.  Mary Oliver herself was an original thinker, and the poem “The Journey” supports her love for originality and being yourself; never choosing to conform.  