Different life experiences are what shape the individual we are today. Each person has their own mindset and their way of going through life. Because of this, the meaning of words and writings have various effects on people. In the poem, The Journey, Mary Oliver writes of one’s determination to stay strong and push past the obstacles and potential set-backs in life. She writes of learning to find yourself and your own voice in this world. While we can generalize this meaning, each reader will be impacted differently. Oliver uses metaphors and word choice to illustrate the struggle to push past the times when life challenges you to find yourself. 

Metaphors are used frequently in this piece to express the struggles we experience in life. In line 6, Oliver says, “the whole house began to tremble.” We can interpret the house to mean one’s mind or mindset. By this interpretation, we can see that the voices “shouting their bad advice” is the internal conflict in the mind. From this meaning we can assume the “tug at ankles” to also be an internal struggle; though it could also be representative of those around you who are working to bring you down. Line 15, “though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations,” is a representation of the things present in your life that are always working against you, trying to break you down in any way. This could be a person or an event that has a negative impact in your life. The words, “road full of fallen branches and stones,” is a common metaphor to the obstacles we face along our path in life. There are many barriers each person has to work around in their own lives and every person has a different “road” of obstacles. At the end of the poem, Oliver references stars burning through “sheets of clouds.” Using our understanding of the full poem, we can see this to be the last stage of the fight to find yourself; when you overcome everything trying to stop you or knock you down and you are breaking through that last bit of darkness. Each metaphor in this poem pieces together to relate to the reader in the struggles we all face in life and on our path to success. 

Each line holds a significant role in the meaning of this poem. Though the fight against the struggles in life are presented to the reader, the main purpose of this poem is to express the triumph of determination in the choice to find one’s own voice and become their own person. The poem begins with the words, “one day,” expressing that this is a conclusion or realization that you have come to in life. Throughout the poem Oliver talks of pushing past everything life throws at you. At the end, she writes of triumph, “the stars began to burn…there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own.” The metaphor of the stars followed by the next few lines give a feeling of success, of joy after so much work, of finally reaching the top and finding yourself. 

Word choice is crucial when using metaphors in writing. When chosen correctly, words can make a metaphor more powerful or more relatable. Since metaphors represent abstract ideas, it is key for the author to use the right words for a specific meaning.  Oliver begins by representing one’s mindset as a house. Since words can often paint a picture in the mind of the reader, this is key in the understanding of the next few lines as she then begins to describe the house trembling in the wind. Lines fourteen through sixteen, “though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations,” personifies the wind with the representation of one’s mindset as the house and foundation. By adding personification to the metaphor, the reader is able to create a strong mental image of the poem and its meaning. Using words and phrases that are familiar to a reader or common in their culture can make the meaning of the story not only more relatable but have a bigger impact on the reader. Oliver writes of the road as “full of fallen branches and stones.” To many, this is a common phrase. We can often think of the path to success as rough and filled with many barriers to overcome. As the last moment of struggle is described in the poem, it is essential that the reader has made a connection with the poem and feels that they can relate in some way.  In the lines “the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds,” the words are important to deliver the power behind the message as this is the transition from the struggle to the victory. Stars are often a symbol of dreams or achievement while the clouds in this poem symbolize the darker, harder times in one’s life. Using the verb “burn” is a strong representation of the end of what is bad and the beginning of something new and brighter. 

Mary Oliver writes a poem that is important and relevant in almost everyone’s life. By doing so, she makes The Journey a poem that can be shared among many different people with individual interpretations based on personal life experiences. Metaphors are used not only as a way to express certain ideas but also to allow readers to make a deeper connection with the text as metaphors allow for interpretation. Word choice gives the metaphors and the poem more meaning making it more impactful for the reader. Every line and phrase in this poem works to illustrate both the fight and triumph we face in our lives to the reader. 
