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. Mary Oliver was born and raised in Ohio. Although she attended the University of Ohio and Vassar College, she did not a receive a degree but she still became a well-known poet. Despite her lack of obtaining a degree, she won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. One of her more well-known works, “The Journey”, was featured in Dream Work, which is a collection of her forty-five poems organized chronologically and logically. “The Journey” relates to the journey one takes through life in order to become an individual. Oliver introduces the reader to the realization that one can listen to his/her own self-conscious, but still surpass the obstacles in life.  In the poem, The Journey, by Mary Oliver, the short poem conveys a connotative meaning hidden in the shadows of each word. Limited denotative is used to allow the audience to determine the meaning from his/her own perspective. 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". Orwell describes the significance of variety within each word, similarly to the works of Oliver. Each individual interprets the vocabulary differently because of their own experiences in the past. 

Oliver's views were obvious throughout “The Journey”, but the imagery was emphasized by, “you felt the old tug at your ankles" (Oliver). Oliver might be referring to scenarios or memories from the past that he/she once let go but when the memories come back into her head, they elude to “the old tug at your ankles” (Oliver). The uses of the word, "old" could describe the old memories that she wanted to forget, but keep coming 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.   

Similar to the previous connotation from the text, Oliver describes the path as, "the road full of fallen branches and stones" (Oliver) is also a restriction. This excerpt reflects the obstacles that attempt to hold us back from reaching our final destination. Another example, from the text is when Oliver states their voices “shouting their bad advice”. This could be an example of restriction because the people who we are trying to be different from in society are holding us back and asking for help. This would restrict us from moving on and going down the “right” path in life. The journey one pursues, is the same journey that goes against the society “norms”.  

Conformity is one of the major themes of the poem depicted, "through the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice" (Oliver). 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 passed another obstacle; the bad advice. The speaker wants the reader to reject the life that the common one would live. In other words, rejecting a life that revolves around others and the ideas of society, but accepting the life of his/her own. The reader is supposed to find his/her own voice and use it to develop his/her own voice and ideals in society. 

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). In “The Road Not Taken”, the narrator comes upon two pitchforks which leads down two different paths. Similarly, to Frost, Oliver uses an extended metaphor. She compares a physical journey to a spiritual journey to represent how an individual changes throughout his/her “journey” in life.  The narrator chooses a path and continues on his/her way. This compares to “The Journey” because the speaker urges the reader to take his/her own path, no matter what society thinks. He/she thinks that no matter which path he/she took he/she 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 unlikely cross the same path again. As for The Journey, there are only two paths; 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 relieve describes by, “the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds” (Oliver). The stars are the fate or destiny through the layers of obstacles. The word burn creates 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 a hyperbole to exaggerate the context in a change of mood from desperation and fear to hope. 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 his/her own paths in life and he/she is the lighthouse to their ship. Along his/her journey, he/she will come across hardships and doubts but it leads the individual to find his/her own voice, his/her 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 wants the audience to leave the needy behind, since he/she would hold the audience from obtaining his/her goals. This poem captures the idea that one must take the time out of his/her own lives and decide what is best for his/her ideal “destination”. One must listen to his/her own mind and instincts, aside from society to truly live an authentic life. The overall message of the poem suggests the human lifestyle of leaving the old memories in the past and welcoming the new, which brings new experiences and values to one’s life. 
