In Mary Oliver’s, “The Journey,” the theme of persistence is repeated throughout the poem. Mary Oliver repeats the word “you” throughout the poem to emphasize that the reader is the main character in the poem. When a reader reads literature they identify the literature as being written for or to them. By using the word “you” Mary Oliver has eliminated any doubt in the reader’s mind that they are the subject of the poem. The language of the poem connotatively brings out feelings of persistence through the character that Mary Oliver references. Symbolism is used to illustrate persistence based on the way that the character responds to all trials and people in his life. These symbols are the limbs in the road that represent stumbling blocks in life and the voices which symbolize bad advice. Mary Oliver portrays the theme of persistence through repetition of words, symbolism, language, and the development of the main character.

The start of this poem is extremely important to the depiction of persistence, Mary Oliver wrote, “One day you finally knew / What you had to do, and began” (1-2). Now one might say that beginning is not an example of persistence and in some way they may be right. What that person has forgotten is persistence cannot exist without a beginning. Mary Oliver specifically uses the comma to emphasize the beginning. Starting is the hardest part of being persistent because the beginning is the only reason that someone can achieve persistence in any way. In a manner of speaking this line is one of the most important lines in the poem. Not only does the line establish a beginning but it is the first and second occurrence of the speaker referring to the reader directly. Mary Oliver uses the word “you” in the two opening lines of the poem and this is the establishment of a reoccurring word. A word that repeats throughout the poem to help establish a hook that ties into the reader’s connection with their interpretation of the poem. In literature readers already assume a book, novel, poem, etc. is written for them. They read with the idea in their mind that what the author is writing is specifically for them. The reoccurring word “you” is used by Mary Oliver to reinforce that the poem is directed at the reader. By repeating this word, the reader assumes that they are the main character in the poem. This assumption allows the reader to identify seamlessly with the main character of the poem; because they are the main character of the poem.

The next lines show persistence through the use of language, “Though the voices around you / kept shouting / their bad advice-” (3-5). Notice that “kept shouting” is given its own line, although it is only a two-word phrase. This is done to emphasize the desperate persistence of the voices in the text. Voices can represent ideas, influences, and judgements that are laden into the framework of a person’s character. These voices represent the bad advice of people in the reader’s life.  It is not a mere coincidence that the author uses these illustrations, but it is a specific deliverance. This abstract usage of placement and separation of text is an inventive way for Mary Oliver to develop the theme of persistence. “Though the wind pried / with its stiff fingers” (14-15). The wind is personified to have fingers and pry at the main character. The wind is used to symbolize the voices of the people in the main character’s life. They are symbolized as wind because the wind will always exist but somedays there will be less wind than others. Mary Oliver uses language in lines 3-5 to illustrate persistence. In lines 14-15 she ties in the voices to the wind and uses metaphor, personification, and symbolism to convey the persistence the main character needs to overcome the bad advice.

Mary Oliver uses the voice of the speaker and the content of his speech to convey a personal recognition of the reader. The word “you” is used twelve times in the poem and the word “your” is used twice. The poem is only thirty-six lines long and the word “you” is used twelve times. An emphasis of this word can be seen and is used to directly reference the speaker. Mary Oliver’s goal is to make the reader feel like the poem is directed at them as an individual and have a feeling of empowerment. By reaching out to the reader on a personal level, it allows the speaker to have a more intimate connection with the reader. This will hook the reader and in turn the persistence ties in by reinforcing the idea of addressing the reader specifically. Another goal of the persistent use of “you” is empowerment through direct addressment of the reader. Most people would agree that a literary work that subjectively speaks to the reader leaves a bigger impression then a work directed at the general population. Also, poetry is a genre that conveys feeling, inspires people and allows writers to vent. Mary Oliver is trying to galvanize the reader by repeatedly referring to them and acknowledging their accomplishments in their journey through life.

The final example of persistence in the text is a lengthy explanation of the character moving on in life in lines 13-36. Mary Oliver uses examples of branches in roads and continuation to further build on this theme of persistence. These branches are a symbol in the text that ties into the reader’s journey down a path in life. First there is a pathway that the reader is traversing and second the path has branches that the reader has to totter through. What do these symbols represent? The pathway represents the chosen path of the reader in life and the branches represent “stumbling blocks” that cause hardships in the reader’s daily routine. Persistence relies on the fact that the reader is persevering through a time where he encounters a multitude of hardships. Thus the reader must continue through these obstacles. The theme of persistence has a strong connotative meaning, which attributes to why the author has stressed this theme throughout the poem. In the poem’s multiple applications, the use of language and symbolism is used to repeatedly reinforce the theme of persistence through examples of walking down paths little by little, to continuing on and on. Mary Oliver has chosen excellent deliverance through these multiple examples from her poem. Persistence is key and repetition is the chosen way to deliver, she knew what she had to do, and she began.

Mary Oliver first uses line 1 and 2 to represent the beginning and to establish a repeated word throughout the poem. The repeated word “you” is then used to reinforce the idea that the main character is the reader. Symbolism is tied into the poem through the voices and the branches in the road. These two symbols were overcome by the main character through persistence. Then Mary Oliver uses a lengthy explanation to depict the persistence of the character throughout his life. In conclusion, Mary Oliver uses language, repetition of words, and symbols to convey the theme of persistence in this poem. 
