Mary Oliver’s poem, “ The Journey”, is about breaking out and being your own individual. Whether it be from a society, from old ways, or simply from a mental state, the speaker of this poem uses descriptive language, form, and tone to empower the reader into escaping conformity and doing what he wants to do, not the will of others.

The speaker addresses the reader in a 2nd person fashion. This “you” immediately grabs the attention of the reader as this speaker is addressing the individual. Not only is the speaker addressing the reader directly, but also the content of the poem tells a story of triumph with the reader as the main character. It’s late, the night has been crazy, and the road you are on is littered with obstacles and debris. But little by little you are able to overcome these obstacles, and everything else fades out until you finally come to terms with being your own person and begin to own your individuality.

…determined to do

the only thing you could do –

determined to save

the only life you could save. (33-36)

Oliver in these closing lines and in the last third of poem in general, brings forward a very interesting sense of self. She suggests that the individual, being yourself, should be the only focus in your life. Others are only there to burden you and stop you from discovering your true self. 

The speaker’s inspirational and admiring tone works well in conjunction with the descriptive language he choses to describe your journey. The reader can see the strain that others are bringing upon him, weighing him down, and impeding his journey, examples being, 

…though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

“Mend my life!”

each voice cried.”(6-11),

 and,

…though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible… (14-18). 

This powerful, dark language emphasizes the scale of the obstacles the reader is facing and the reader’s accomplishment of breaking out of the mold.

Along with “breaking out of the mold”, goes Oliver’s use of form in this poem. She uses a free, broken form with no rhyme scheme or specific meter. The lines vary in length and this free form works well with the subject matter, escaping from convention and coming into oneself. 

“…But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own…” (23-29)

Oliver will often break lines midway through sentences, creating a choppier, less fluid style of reading. This technique puts emphasis on each line, and can be seen in every quote I’ve drawn, and, in the case of this quote, the broken line structure puts emphasis on the powerful image of the burning stars and the epiphany of realizing your voice as the guiding force in your life. 

Oliver also uses a change in diction halfway through, as the reader begins to break his ties with “the voices”, words like tremble, tug, pried, stiff, melancholy, terrible and shouting stop appearing and are replaced with words like save, strode, new, company, and determined. Neat the end of the poem, the “voices” stop shouting and you leave them behind, and with this come your new voice and the tone changes from dark to more optimistic and bright.  

Oliver uses all of these literary techniques to set up the reader as a hero in his own story with the speaker narrating it back to the speaker. The speaker is a powerful storyteller and inspiring to the reader creating the timeless and personal poem, “The Journey.” Along with this, the reader takes away an extreme sense of individuality. Oliver places the individual at the center of his own universe and disregards all outside influences. 
