In Mary Oliver’s poem, “The Journey”, she utilizes personification to humanize the internal and external doubts and bad advice in the protagonist’s life. The protagonist is meant to be on a relatable quest to some arbitrary destination, which is presumably for happiness and self-realization. The humanization of the different influences on the protagonist’s journey is intentionally used to create a more relatable poem; this is important because relatability helps the reader connect with the poem on a deeper level. A story becomes much more interesting and important to a reader when they can relate to it. Oliver’s abstract concepts and use of personification allow the reader to step into the protagonist’s shoes and create their own personal journey with their own life experiences. 

An example of effective personification in the poem is “’Mend my life each voice cried’ but you didn’t stop” (Oliver 10-12). In every person’s life there are people who request help whether it be sincere or for selfish reasons, and stopping to help somebody else with their life while not having a grasp on their own is an unreasonable task. Without proper goals or self-identity, the only person one can truly help is themselves. This is useful in the relatability of the text as many people have been in similar situations, and although they may have acted differently than the protagonist, it is a common situation that can slow one from achieving their own goals and dreams. The line contributes to the moral of the poem by pushing across the message of the uselessness of mending another person’s life while one’s own is in shambles or incomplete. This line could be relevant as an internal conflict as well, as it may represent any bad habits or inhibitions in the protagonist’s mind. The bad habits could be shouting for the protagonist to “mend their life” in the context of picking up the habit or returning to one’s old state. On the quest for self-improvement, some habits and inhibitions must be dropped for the sake of adopting new habits and a better state of mind. 

Oliver personifies nature and states, “You knew what you had to do, though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations” (Oliver 13-16). 

The wind is being personified as a force with the power to deter the journey the protagonist is going on. The wind could be considered literally as a wind, fierce and cold enough to make one consider turning back on the metaphorical journey through the woods, or it could be considered as any external force with the power of making one reconsider their path. The abstract concept of the wind is useful from a relatability standpoint, as the reader can use their own life experiences to personify the wind in whichever way they like. Many people have come across a force or event that has forced them to possibly consider going down another path in life or choosing a different destination for their lifelong journey, and this once again allows the reader to connect on a more personal level with the protagonist and the obstacles that it faces. 

Finally, the last prominent use of personification serves as a conclusion for the poem and a metaphor for the ultimate goal of happiness and self-realization. Oliver concludes, “There was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own, that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world” (Lines 27-32). These lines serve as a conclusion for the “journey” that the protagonist has been on. Again, it adds relatability to the poem, as she personifies the feeling of self-realization and happiness that can occur after one puts in the effort to change themselves for the better. It ties in with the rest of the poem, as it continues with the reoccurring voices, but instead of using them negatively, it serves as the positive voice that every person should search for in their own life. It implies that once somebody has that voice to keep them company, they’ll never feel alone or unfulfilled. The other voices will no longer matter or be audible, as the only audible voice will be your new self. 

The theme of the poem is overcoming struggle to improve one’s self. These lines towards the beginning of the poem contribute to the poem’s theme by adding a feeling of uneasiness and conflict to the poem. There can be no real journey, if there are no obstacles in the way to the destination. The negative voices serve as these obstacles and an added amount of relatability for the reader to stay intrigued and involved in the poem. The final addition of the voice of the protagonist serves as the ultimate goal that the protagonist has strived for, and while this serves as a conclusion of sorts, it’s main purpose is to communicate to the reader that any struggle that they face on the way to their destination is worth the trouble because the destination will be that much better. Each obstacle in the way of the destination is an abstract concept which is used intentionally because it makes it easier for the reader to replace them with experiences of their own. The added relatability creates an irreplaceable personal connection between the reader, author, and poem. Although every voice and force in the poem is abstract enough that it can be interpreted as another positive or negative force, the message and the destination of the journey stay the same.
