
In Mary Oliver’s poem, “The Journey”, she describes one person’s unique trek down a decrepit road. At the start of the poem, the protagonist is portrayed as embarking on a quest which will conclude with their arrival at some arbitrary destination, which is presumably an allegory for happiness and self-realization. The poem conveys a powerful theme of overcoming obstacles to achieve specific individual goals. Oliver personifies certain elements of the setting in order to humanize the internal and external conflicts that the protagonist overcomes in this “journey”. The humanization of the various obstacles in the poem are vague to the point that the reader can give each element any meaning that they desire; this is important because relatability helps the reader connect with the poem and its theme on a deeper level. A story and the moral it conveys becomes much more interesting and important to a reader when they can relate to it. Mary Oliver’s abstract concepts and use of personification in “The Journey” allow any reader to empathize with the protagonist and create a wide array of personal journeys by replacing the obstacles in the story with their own life experiences.

Towards the beginning of the poem, Oliver uses this example of personification: “Though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice-’Mend my life each voice cried!’ but you didn’t stop” (Oliver 3-5, 10-12). The voices serve as the first obstacle in the protagonist’s quest. The voices “shout bad advice” in order to deter the protagonist from their ultimate goal, which is to reach the end of the road. This can lead the reader to believe that the voices represent personified versions of the conflicts that the protagonist faces in regards to this journey. These lines are intentionally vague in regards to where the voices come from or what they represent in order to allow the reader a multitude of different ways to interpret it. The reader could see the “voices” as external conflicts while on the journey or internal struggles within the character. This not only adds character and plot development to the poem, but also allows the reader to imagine the “voices” in their own point of view. 

Later, Oliver continues to personify 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 in this line as a force with the power to deter the protagonist from continuing on their journey. The gust serves as the second great obstacle in the path of the protagonist and their ultimate goal. It is described to be “prying” at the base of the protagonist’s motivation, and although they continue on their journey, it forces them to momentarily reconsider their destination. The wind could be interpreted literally as a wind, fierce and cold enough to make one consider turning back on the metaphorical journey through the forest, or it could be considered as any external force with the power of making one reconsider their path. The reader can use this line to further develop their personal journey, as many people have come across a force or event that has forced them to possibly consider going down another path in life. This abstraction and personification from the author 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 as a metaphor for reaching the goal of the “journey”. 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).  The line personifies the achievement of the overall goal. It gives the feeling of accomplishment a voice, and that voice alone is enough to reassure the traveler that they made the right decision in overcoming the adversity that they had faced. Again, it adds relatability to the poem, as any reader can relate to the warming feeling of accomplishment. 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 pride and self-confidence, they’ll never feel alone or unfulfilled. According to Oliver, the feeling of accomplishment will shroud any negativity and obstacles faced along the “journey” in irrelevance.   

Oliver’s poem centers entirely around achieving a goal in the face of adversity. The lines towards the beginning of the poem contribute to the poem’s mood by adding a feeling of uneasiness and conflict to the poem. Without this conflict, the accomplishment would be less gratifying to the protagonist, and the final “voice” would be less powerful and satisfying. The negative voices serve as arbitrary obstacles for the reader to equate with obstacles in their own life. Oliver purposefully neglects to add specific qualities to the obstacles in order to achieve a certain amount of relatability. 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.
