The Journey
One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began,
though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations,
though their melancholy was terrible.
It was already late enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen branches and stones.
But little by little, as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds,
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,
determined to do the only thing you could do--
determined to save the only life you could save.
though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations,
though their melancholy was terrible.
It was already late enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen branches and stones.
But little by little, as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds,
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,
determined to do the only thing you could do--
determined to save the only life you could save.
On first impression, The Journey is obviously about just what the title implies-a journey. The speaker goes on a stereotypical journey where they make a decision to embark on their journey and face hardships along the way, with people trying to deter them from their path. The speaker proceeds to persevere and finds the "light at the end of the tunnel". Their journey was successful and all lived "happily ever after". However, on closer analysis, this poem is not as stereotypical as the first reading would lead readers to believe. The Journey signifies the separation from the influence of the crowd in order to embark on one's own path.
The speaker of The Journey uses the second person point of view to speak directly to the person going on the journey, as well as the readers of the poem. The speaker goes through the events of the journey- from when the person decides it is finally time to go, through the rough times where voices keep holding them back, "giving bad advice", and shouting, "Mend my life!", to leaving these voices behind, and saving the only life that they can-their own. It appears as though the speaker has been on a journey similar to this, and knows how the person on the journey feels and thinks during each stage. Using second person allows the poem to become more personal to those reading it. By using the person pronoun "you" consistently throughout the poem, it tells the readers that someone else has been through the same situation, this is how it felt at each particular time in the journey, and that the speaker has empathy for your journey.
The language Mary Oliver uses is dominantly colloquial, or in other words, common. However, these common words are filled with metaphoric meaning that is difficult to understand at first glance. The person going on the journey decided to leave the "house" which is now "trembling" and the person is feeling an "old tug at their ankles". The house is the place the person needs to break away from, and because the person decided to leave, the crowd inside the "house" is trying to keep the person in by "tugging at their ankles". The crowd desperately needs the person in the poem to be the one to "mend their lives" by taking care of them and making the person's life all about the needs of the crowd. (No wonder the person needs to break free!) But, for once, the person didn't stop for the crowd, they shook off the people tugging their ankles and continued on the journey. The "wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundation", which means that the needs of the crowd were still trying to push the person back, beating at the very foundation of the person's resilience. With the "road full of fallen branches and stones", it is even more difficult for the person to continue on their journey, even though they have gotten past the crowd. But then, the "stars burn through the sheets of clouds" and the person can see that the stars are hope that they are close to completing their journey. The crowd has been left behind, and a new voice, the person's own voice finally is able to speak after being muffled by the crowd for so long. They no longer are obligated to mend the lives of the crowd, who cannot think for themselves, the person has to worry about one journey and one life-their own.
The tone of the poem is determination. The person on the journey is determined to escape the clutches of the crowd, determined to not turn back, determined to continue on their path, though there were more obstacles like the sticks and stones, and determined to save their own life and form their own destiny. Even the point of tension in the poem emphasizes the person's determination. "...though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice--though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug at your ankles. "Mend my life!" each voice cried. But you didn't stop. You knew what you had to do..." The person on the journey knew they had to leave, and they were determined to escape the ankle tuggers and the trembling house.
Finally, the overall theme of the play is following one's own individual path. After the voices of the crowd were finally silenced, the person on the journey could finally hear their own voice. Finding one's own path in life is especially difficult in modern times because everyone feels the need to be accepted and wanted by the crowd. In reality, being part of the crowd does not benefit anyone, and each person needs to regain their own individual identity. The Journey is a prime example of breaking away from the majority, and following one's own path.
The speaker of The Journey uses the second person point of view to speak directly to the person going on the journey, as well as the readers of the poem. The speaker goes through the events of the journey- from when the person decides it is finally time to go, through the rough times where voices keep holding them back, "giving bad advice", and shouting, "Mend my life!", to leaving these voices behind, and saving the only life that they can-their own. It appears as though the speaker has been on a journey similar to this, and knows how the person on the journey feels and thinks during each stage. Using second person allows the poem to become more personal to those reading it. By using the person pronoun "you" consistently throughout the poem, it tells the readers that someone else has been through the same situation, this is how it felt at each particular time in the journey, and that the speaker has empathy for your journey.
The language Mary Oliver uses is dominantly colloquial, or in other words, common. However, these common words are filled with metaphoric meaning that is difficult to understand at first glance. The person going on the journey decided to leave the "house" which is now "trembling" and the person is feeling an "old tug at their ankles". The house is the place the person needs to break away from, and because the person decided to leave, the crowd inside the "house" is trying to keep the person in by "tugging at their ankles". The crowd desperately needs the person in the poem to be the one to "mend their lives" by taking care of them and making the person's life all about the needs of the crowd. (No wonder the person needs to break free!) But, for once, the person didn't stop for the crowd, they shook off the people tugging their ankles and continued on the journey. The "wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundation", which means that the needs of the crowd were still trying to push the person back, beating at the very foundation of the person's resilience. With the "road full of fallen branches and stones", it is even more difficult for the person to continue on their journey, even though they have gotten past the crowd. But then, the "stars burn through the sheets of clouds" and the person can see that the stars are hope that they are close to completing their journey. The crowd has been left behind, and a new voice, the person's own voice finally is able to speak after being muffled by the crowd for so long. They no longer are obligated to mend the lives of the crowd, who cannot think for themselves, the person has to worry about one journey and one life-their own.
The tone of the poem is determination. The person on the journey is determined to escape the clutches of the crowd, determined to not turn back, determined to continue on their path, though there were more obstacles like the sticks and stones, and determined to save their own life and form their own destiny. Even the point of tension in the poem emphasizes the person's determination. "...though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice--though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug at your ankles. "Mend my life!" each voice cried. But you didn't stop. You knew what you had to do..." The person on the journey knew they had to leave, and they were determined to escape the ankle tuggers and the trembling house.
Finally, the overall theme of the play is following one's own individual path. After the voices of the crowd were finally silenced, the person on the journey could finally hear their own voice. Finding one's own path in life is especially difficult in modern times because everyone feels the need to be accepted and wanted by the crowd. In reality, being part of the crowd does not benefit anyone, and each person needs to regain their own individual identity. The Journey is a prime example of breaking away from the majority, and following one's own path.