
How can you win the uphill battle of life? Mary Oliver explores this question in her poem “The Journey”. Throughout the poem, she considers an idea that most people must face when societal forces, such as jobs and expectations from others, are reigning down. Within the scope of the poem, Mary Oliver stresses the need for a person to concentrate on themselves and ignore others pleas for help with “mending their lives” because it is impossible to save others unless you save yourself first. This idea is relevant in today’s society with the growth of the population as well as social media adding pressure to individual’s lives. It points out the importance of realizing your own potential and not having to seek others approval to make yourself feel more confident.

In the beginning lines of the poem, the narrator talks about her struggle dealing with people telling her what to do and begging for her help. These people keep pulling her back from the tract that she wants to take and they lead her thoughts to negative ideologies about herself. The narrator says “…the voices around you / keep shouting / their bad advice” (lines 3-5). The narrator has been living for everyone else and has not stopped to concentrate on her own problems. Also, the narrator compares herself to a house trembling at the core. It is understandable to become uneasy when it seems like everyone is rooting against you and you are faced with people begging you to fix their lives when you have to work on your own. It is hard to get out of the mindset of failure when it’s been engraved into you from the people around you. From this point, the narrator’s assumed fate begins to change.

As the poem continues, the narrator begins to realize that she has the power to control what she does and what she feels. The narrator assures herself by saying, “But you didn’t stop. / You knew what you had to do” (12-13). After this moment, she begins to look out for herself and stops listening to the “bad voices” who are against her. She begins to stabilize herself and her emotions towards these people. This is shown when the narrator continues with the house analogy, but instead of the house trembling she talks about how the house is not reacting to the negative things happening to it. As the wind tries to pry at the foundation, the house remains standing tall without any damage. This is representative of the narrator’s resilience against society’s forces trying to bring her down. She is beginning to win the fight that she has been fighting for so long.

Finally, at the end of the poem, the narrator has survived the worst of the abuse and she has come out on top. The narrator says, “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” (27-32). As the narrator continues through life, she knows that she can always come back to herself; she can comfort herself and be there for herself when it seems like no-one else has it. At this point in her life, she has come out victorious in the internal fight that has been going on, but she also recognizes that the fight never truly ends and there will be more hardships. Instead of trying to fix people or taking their opinions to heart, it is vital to just ward off their negative energy and concentrate on what is actually important; yourself.  The poem finishes off with the line “determined to save / the only life you could save” (35-36), which gives the poem a more serious tone. It suggests that if you do not stop to take care yourself, then you will drive yourself crazy and live a depressed and unsuccessful life. This is an important lesson to learn with the growth of mental health issues and the increase in suicide rate, knowing that there are ways to get out of your bad situation can affect a person’s mindset that the world is against them. The ending leaves the reader feeling supported as they continue the journey. Mary Oliver does not just end “The Journey” with no resolution; it leaves what happens next up to the reader after the momentum of positivity has been built up. The ending is meant to show readers that it is up to you because you have the inner strength to continue to be successful.

“The Journey” by Mary Oliver gives hope to individuals who feel lost in the vast world and society. No matter where you are or where you go, you will always have yourself in your corner rooting you on. Friends have the ability to come and go, but as long as you have a strong foundation this won’t have the power to affect you as much. This is an affective piece for pointing out the ills of today’s society and providing self- empowerment for those who need it.
