Literature is a labyrinth, with long corridors which twist and turn in every direction but at the end of each tunnel is a different light. In the poem, the short poem, “The Journey” by Mary Oliver, conveys a connotative meaning hidden in the shadows of each word. Limited denotation is used to allow the audience determine the meaning from their own perspective. Each individual interprets the term from their experience with the term. Even the great George Orwell, author of Animal Farm, quoted, "The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one’s real and one’s declared aims, one turns, as it were, instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish squirting out ink" (Robert). Orwell describe the significance of variety within each word and how it turns a bland black and white direct view into a limitless rainbow of imagination.

Oliver's morbid views were obvious throughout The Journey, but the imagery was emphasized by, “you felt the old tug at your ankles" (Oliver, 8-9). The uses of the word, "old" could describe the aging want to escape or the limitation holding the audience back. There may be a fear within the mind of the audience; a mental incapability to proceed due to the fear of no return or the fear of making the wrong turn. It is also crucial to note that the anatomy that is being restricted is also the human's main source of locomotive. It symbolizes that literally, the audience is physically restrained and psychologically unable to move either forward or backwards.   

Just like the previous connotation from the text, "the road full of fallen branches and stones" (Oliver, 21-22) is also a restriction. The branches and stones are the hidden obstacles inhibiting the audience from a smooth transition. There is also an unease because the travel took place during the middle of the night and possibly on a dirt road surrounded by trees or on a road less traveled by due to the large amount of branches and stones lie wasted in the path. 

Conformity is one of the major themes of the poem depicted, "through the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice" (Oliver, 3-5). The bad advice is the judgement of society and how individuals are scolded for failure to adapt to social norms. Oliver wants the reader to push pass another obstacle; the bad advice. The uses of the word “shouting” has a negative connotation since it is commonly used in argument and demonstrations and rallies. Personification is used to describe the loud and harsh tone of the voice.   

A similar poem would be Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”. The poem depicts a point of realization which also occurred at the beginning of The Journey; “One day you finally knew what you had to do” (Oliver, 1-2). In The Road Not Taken, the narrator comes upon two pitchforks which leads down two different trails. The narrator chooses a trail and continues on their way thinking that no matter which path they took they can always go back and take the other path. Unfortunately, with each path taken there are other paths down the road and the narrator would most unlikely cross the same path again. As for The Journey, there are only two passages; either to conform with others/society and live a miserable life or pull from the chains and live a unique life. 

There is a point of relief Oliver describe; “the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds” (Oliver, 25-26). The stars are the fate or destiny through the layers of obstacles. Burn is an imagery which describes the want for the light to push through the clouds. The sheet of clouds are obstacles which halt the rays of light from escaping. Oliver used hyperbole to exaggerate the context in a change of mood from desperation and fear to hope and enlightenment. The hyperbole is also the pinnacle of the poem because of the sudden change in the poem’s tone and mood.

The purpose of the poem is to express to the audience that each individual has their own path in life and they are the lighthouse to their ship. Along their journey, they will come across hardships and doubts but it leads the individual to find their own voice, their own vocation. In Oliver’s case, it would have been her sexuality that was questioned and kept secret from the population. Others shout, ‘"Mend my life!’ each voice cried” (Oliver, 10-11). Oliver wants the audience to leave the needy behind since they would hold the audience from their goals. The needy are the ones who pull on the ankles and hold the audience back. Oliver also addresses the significates of connotation that allows the reader to exercise the meaning of the text. Therefore, the audience is left with their own voice to unravel their depiction of the text.
