The poem “The Journey” authored by American poet Mary Oliver is a poem about the path a person takes through life to become one’s best possible self. Throughout the poem she lists the different possible obstacles people face on their “journey” through life, whether it be obstacles presented by other people or obstacles and limitations a person puts on themselves. Oliver writes about moving through challenges, getting past “the voices around you” (Oliver 3), and taking control of your own path. The theme that is the most outstanding is that each person is responsible for their own life and happiness but are often held back by outside influences that other people bring into your life, and it is not possible to really embark on a “journey” until those outside influences are irrelevant. This is important because most people are so determined to live a life of purpose and happiness but are unable to do so because they do not acknowledge this fact and are left wondering where they are going wrong.

Oliver begins the poem with “One day you finally knew what you had to do” (Oliver 1-2), suggesting that most people don’t realize the responsibility and things they must do to achieve a happier life. The first few lines of the poem are evident that most individuals rely on other people or “voices” when going about their journey, in the eyes of Oliver. As she views it, other “voices” can really be any kind of influence on you, whether it be a person or even an object, as the word “voices” is really just a metaphor. These other “voices” are something she believes strongly hold back each person from their journey, and we know this because throughout the poem she references these other voices multiple times. She writes “the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice--” (Oliver 3-4), meaning that no other people in your life truly know what journey is best for you, and can’t possibly give good advice. These “voices” present an obstacle for all people to go about their journey and that is something that Oliver emphasizes early on. She does not just stop here when speaking of the negative aspects other “voices” present, and continues to talk about them as the poem goes on.

As she moves past the first few lines, she really moves into detail of how other “voices” negatively try to influence a person’s life and journey through life. “Mend my life! each voice cried”(Oliver 10-11), she writes. Oliver believes that other people attempt to reach out for help for their own happiness, and that you can’t possibly stop to take responsibility in making their life better before you do so for yourself. When thinking about this line, it is also important to acknowledge that there are many people who believe helping others is really helping themselves as well. Many people believe that assisting in the lives of others gives more purpose to their own life, but it is clear that in Oliver’s view that the only way to find purpose is to first find it for yourself and improve your own life in every aspect. This belief presents itself in the following line, as she says “But you didn’t stop, you knew what you had to do, though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations, though their melancholy was terrible.” (Oliver 13-17), her use of imagery when speaking of the “wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundation” shows just how much she believes the sadness and gloominess of others can affect that person’s journey. It also shows that attempting to make an impact on others is extremely tempting, and not doing so may leave you feeling empty in some ways. Her word choice of “stiff” and “winds” are telling of that temptation as those are powerful words in this context. But this also shows that once a person makes up their mind, blocks out the other voices no matter how difficult that may be, they will be on the right track to complete their own journey. This belief is shown in the next few lines as she shifts from the voices of others, to the voice of one’s self.

The tone of the poem shifts after this point, and it shifts from focusing on blocking out the voices of others to following your own voice and the amazing things that happen when you do. She writes that “it was already late enough, and a wild night, and the road full of fallen branches and stones.”  (Oliver 18-21) this strong use of imagery suggests that once moving past the voices of others, the road isn’t necessarily smooth from there on out and you will face other obstacles. These obstacles can be self-inflicted, such as guilt and other feelings of unhappiness, but can also be external, as this world can sometimes be cold and unfair, leaving a person with many “branches and stones” along the way. But the message of this poem is that at some point, you will start to make great strides in your journey, and this is displayed in the next few lines as she again uses great wording to show the bright future people have when following their own voice. “ But little by little, as you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds” (Oliver 22-25), she writes and this gives the reader a very strong feeling of the future being “bright” once you follow your own voice. She continues with this tone and focus throughout the conclusion of the poem.

The concluding lines of the poem stick to the idea of following one’s own voice, and at one point she explicitly says that. As she puts it, “there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own” (Oliver 26-27) meaning that at some point along a person’s journey, they will eventually realize this new voice they are following is their own and that is why their future seems bright. Her emphasis on the importance of a person following the voice inside their own heart is really tied together in the final lines as she concludes the poem with saying (when writing about a person’s “own” voice in the lines proceeding), “that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world, determined to do the only thing you could do-- 

determined to save the only life you could save” (Oliver 28-33). These final lines are in a way, a short interpretation of the poem, and how Mary Oliver feels altogether. The focus in the final lines is very telling of the message she was trying to portray when writing the poem, and that is the fact that helping others, and taking advice from others is something people do to attempt to improve their own life, but at the end of the day only that person is responsible and capable of improving their life.

In conclusion, the poem “The Journey” is really an inspiring and beautifully written poem about the journey all people go through in life. She uses exceptional language and imagery in key moments to portray her message or theme the best. That theme being one of following your own heart. This poem is best interpreted as a poem explaining that for one to go about their journey in the best way, that person needs to realize that all of the other voices are, in a way, meaningless and that a person is truly only responsible and able to control their own “journey”.
