 In her poem The Journey, Mary Oliver follows a young person through an adventure to overcome adversity and hardship, and finally arrive at contentment. Ms. Oliver uses the concept of voices, internal and external, to paint a picture of this individual’s path. The first set of voices Ms. Oliver uses are from external sources. External voices that reside in a household, although not specifically identified, usually refer to the voices of loved ones including family, friends, and companions. These voices often have the biggest influence in an individual’s life, in both positive and negative ways. The second set of voices heard throughout the story are internal voices, these voices are thoughts and feelings. When it comes down to the wire, the internal voices determine how to handle any decision in a split instant. These are the voices that are with you throughout your life, the ones you cannot run away from. In The Journey, the narrator struggles to adhere to the standards of the external voices and influences in her life, while simultaneously following her internal voice and creating her own path to contentment.  

When we look at our day to day lives, it is hard to imagine not having the influence of parents, friends, peers, and teachers. These voices are the ones that surround us at all times, the ones that expand our horizons and allow us to grow and develop throughout our lives. While coated with the best intentions, these voices can also be misguided and pressuring in ways that can seem overbearing. In The Journey, the narrator finds that the once influential voices surrounding her, have turned haunting. The reader first becomes conscious of the voices that torment the narrator when she exclaims -- “Though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice – through the whole house.” (3-6). To the narrator, the vortex of voices surrounding her - the external voices - create a world of pain and internal hardships. As animosity builds around these voices, the desire to leave and abandon those around grows.  Through this passage, Ms. Oliver gives the reader an image of a family member screaming unwarranted advice, as it echoes through an open house for all to hear. 

The hardest part of any journey is when adversity sets in. When one ventures off, goals are clear, mind is set, and determination lies within. However, with every passing road block, the once unmatched persistence fades. For the narrator, the ability to separate the goals of parents, friends, and mentors from her own is the most excruciating part, she exclaims, “Mend my life!’ each voice cried. But you didn’t stop” (Oliver 10-12). The lines between advice and admonishment is easily blurred, especially as a young adult trying to leave an individualized imprint on the world. The feeling of shame, However, hardship creates a foundation for success, for in order to succeed there needs to be a motivating factor. For the narrator in Ms. Oliver’s poem, the inescapable pain she feels fuels her fire to become better within society. This turning point, rock bottom, is where the narrator eventually gains her steam to finish her journey into the world. 

As the narrator grows in confidence, we see a development in the way Ms. Oliver refers to the external voices. She begins to phase these voices out, to follow the pass less taken. As the reader, the progression in the narrator’s confidence becomes apparent through the exclamation, “But little by little, as you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn through the sheets of cloud.” (23-26). As the narrator pushes away these external influences, she is able to find her own strength to keep her ‘journey’ going towards success. It becomes clear through the line, ‘the stars began to burn,’ that the narrator, in addition to pushing away these external voices, is redefining who she is. Finally, as the poem comes to a close, the internal voices are all that are left to influence the narrator. 

Ms. Oliver’s transition from external to internal influences shows the narrator’s strength and dedication to herself and her cause. With time and distance, the narrator’s ears clear from the fog that was the external voices, and a new voice begins to reign. The narrator proclaims, “And there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own, that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world.” (Oliver 27-31). With the conclusion of the poem, the narrator has found herself in a much better state of mind, no longer haunted by the voices of the past, instead comforted by the voice that lies in her own head, and trusting herself to control her own life, her own world, and her own journey. In the mind of the narrator, she is now rebuilt and on her way to success. 

The way the poem is written, starting in a choppy manner with periods and dashes, then progressing to a consistent flow of words, allows the poem to build to a last pause in which the reader finally sees the clarity and poise of the narrator’s new state of mind. Like the poem, when we push away external influences, or in this case voices, we are able to see clearer into ourselves and the path that will make us happy as an individual. The road each individual follows is full of hills and obstacles, similarly to how The Journey’s sequence takes the reader on the ups and downs of the narrator’s life. 

 Mary Oliver’s poem The Journey is one that is extremely relatable to every individual but to college students in particular. As we venture on our own paths, we push away from the loved ones who have shaped us so greatly, and begin to find ways to make ourselves whole through individual journeys. The Journey shows the constant struggle for young men and women in society to consider external influences, while simultaneously following one’s own path, mind, and spirit, to a new world of possibilities. For the narrator in particular, she shows a willingness to push away from the principles of those around her, in order to follow the little voice that lies within her own mind. This willingness, is what ultimately creates a sense of contentment for both the narrator and the reader in the conclusion of the poem. 
