The Full Text of “The Journey”
The Full Text of “The Journey”
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“The Journey” Introduction
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Mary Oliver's "The Journey" first appeared in her 1963 collection No Voyage and Other Poems. The poem is about the importance of taking charge of one's own life and leaving behind negative influences. Despite being one of Oliver's more personal poems, and including references to real events in Oliver's life, many readers will identity with its themes of self-reliance and integrity. This has helped to secure its place as one of the most popular poems from one of America's most popular poets.
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“The Journey” Summary
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Addressing the reader directly, the speaker says that one day you finally understood what it was that you needed to do, and so you set about doing it—even as the people in your life kept yelling unhelpful suggestions at you. You kept going even as your whole world became unsteady—something the speaker metaphorically compares to a house starting to shake—and even as you felt a familiar pull trying to hold you back. The people around you demanded that you fix their lives, but you kept going. You understood what you needed to do now, even as outside forces tried to tear you down—something the speaker compares to the wind desperately prying at the foundations of that metaphorical house—and even though it was really hard for you to see how deeply sad the people asking for your help were. The speaker goes on to compare doing what you had to do to leaving in the middle of a fierce, untamed night, and walking down a road filled with bits of debris in your way. Yet, one step at a time, as you got further and further away from the sound of all those people's voices, the stars started to shine through the cloud cover, and a new voice appeared. You began to understand that you were in fact hearing your own voice, and this kept you from being lonely as you walked with great purpose further into the world, resolved to do the only thing you were actually capable of doing—to take charge of the only life that was actually yours to live.
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“The Journey” Themes
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The Importance of Self-Reliance
"The Journey" is about someone who is learning to trust themselves and focus on their own well-being. The "journey" of the poem's title refers to the speaker's decision to leave the bad advice and demands of other people behind, and to follow their own instincts instead—that is, to forge their own path in life. The speaker’s “journey” thus illustrates the value of self-reliance. Everyone must learn to live their own life, the speaker argues; no one else can do it for them.
The poem makes it clear that other people don't always have the speaker's best interests at heart. For one thing, the advice the speaker receives from these people is “bad”; they don't actually understand what the speaker needs to hear. The fact that this advice is “shout[ed]” at the speaker also makes such seeming attempts at help feel like an unpleasant onslaught.
Apart from wrongly assuming they know what's best for the speaker, these people also make selfish demands on the speaker's time—asking the speaker to somehow "mend," or fix, their own problems. These people aren’t really interested in helping the speaker at all, it seems, but rather are trying to saddle the speaker with their own needs and desires. Part of the speaker’s “journey,” then, is learning to leave such negative influences behind—in other words, to stop putting other people’s needs before their (the speaker's) own.
It’s a choice that the speaker feels guilty about at first, especially upon seeing how miserable these people are. Such guilt suggests that the speaker has felt responsible in the past for meeting other people’s needs. But, just as the speaker finally understands that no one else can fix the speaker's problems, the speaker can't fix things for these people; they, too, must learn to help themselves.
None of this is easy, of course, and the poem presents setting off on one's own path as a frightening, destabilizing experience. The speaker compares it to rattling a house to its foundations, suggesting that trusting oneself entails shaking up all the certainties and principles that have guided one so far. The first steps on the road to self-reliance are also hindered by metaphorical debris; the way is unclear, and the night seems "wild," or out of control.
But the poem argues that the more one trusts oneself, the easier it gets to do so. As the speaker leaves the "voice" of others further behind, the darkness and obstacles in the speaker's path give way to the light of stars burning through the clouds. The speaker can finally see their journey clearly; with that other voice finally quiet, the speaker can finally hear and honor their own needs.
The fact that the speaker goes “deeper and deeper / into the world” suggests that the speaker is more fully alive than they have been in the past—that they feel free in a way they hadn’t before to make their own decisions and live according to their own values. This again illustrates the value of self-reliance: each person is responsible for "saving" their own life.
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-36
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Journey”
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Lines 1-5
One day you ...
... bad advice —The opening of "The Journey" lays out the speaker's situation: the speaker is "finally" aware of what they need to do to, even though all around them are voices "shouting / their bad advice."
The phrase "what you had to do" is vague, but these lines imply that it has something to do with cutting out negative influences. The first five lives clearly pit the speaker's wellbeing against these surrounding voices. In other words, it's clear that in order for the speaker to do whatever it is that they believe needs to be done, they will need to somehow get free of these voices—to stop listening to other people's "bad advice."
The poem's first two lines also indicate that the speaker actually doesn't wait to be free of the voices before beginning their "journey." Upon finally realizing what they need to do, the speaker acts in spite of the advice swirling around them. They begin despite the difficulty of this journey and lack of support.
The assonance of /oo/ sounds in these first lines ("you knew / what you had to do") feels insistent. it evokes both the echoing shouts of the people around the speaker and the speaker's own determination to do what needs to be done. The enjambment of these opening lines also pulls the reader forward through the poem, pushing them from one line to the next, much like the speaker is pulled forward on this "journey" by their own sense of what's right.
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Lines 6-9
though the whole ...
... at your ankles. -
Lines 10-13
"Mend my life!" ...
... had to do, -
Lines 14-18
though the wind ...
... was terrible. -
Lines 19-22
It was already ...
... branches and stones. -
Lines 23-26
But little by ...
... sheets of clouds, -
Lines 27-29
and there was ...
... as your own, -
Lines 30-32
that kept you ...
... into the world, -
Lines 33-36
determined to do ...
... you could save.
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“The Journey” Symbols
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The House
In the world of the poem, the house that the speaker leaves behind represents the unhealthy relationships and habits the speaker breaks with in order to live life on their own (the speaker's) terms.
When the speaker realizes "what [they have] to do"—that is, that they need to cut negative influences from their life and forge their own path—the house begins to "tremble," or shake. On the one hand, the shaking of the house suggests that learning to trust oneself is a destabilizing and scary process. Houses and homes often symbolize familiarity and comfort, but the speaker here is rejecting all that in favor of a new, healthier path. The fact that the wind tears at the house's "very foundations" when the speaker starts to walk away further suggests the "old tug" of the world the speaker is leaving behind. The speaker feels guilty for putting their own well-being first, and symbolically experiences this guilt as a kind of violent storm swirling around this house.
But this trembling also seems to point to the idea that this house can't exist without the speaker. All it takes is the thought of leaving to potentially bring the house crashing down, suggesting that the relationships that the speaker is leaving behind are tenuous at best. The howling wind that desperately "prie[s]" at the house also reflects the selfishness of those demanding that the speaker "mend" their lives (and in doing so hold the speaker back from finding their own path). The speaker can't live their life while also holding up the weight of this house, though; they have to put that weight down, and walk away.
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Lines 6-7: “though the whole house / began to tremble”
- Lines 14-16: “though the wind pried / with its stiff fingers / at the very foundations,”
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The Stars
Stars often symbolize insight or guidance in literature, and that's how they work in this poem. This stems from the fact that stars are a useful navigation tool (think of how people use the North Star to orient themselves). When the stars begin "to burn / through the sheets of clouds," then, this represents the speaker finding a sense of clarity and direction. The clouds—themselves a symbol of confusion, fogginess, and obscurity—become less powerful as the speaker learns to trust themselves, and the road of life no longer feels quite so dark.
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Lines 25-26: “the stars began to burn / through the sheets of clouds,”
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The Road
The journey in the poem is a metaphorical one, and the "road" the speaker walks down isn't meant to be taken literally. Instead, it represents the speaker's new path in life. Roads often symbolize the journey of life—something readers might recognize from Robert Frost's famous poem "The Road Not Taken." The fact that the road here is at first filled with "fallen / branches and stones" implies that it's a dangerous one, that the speaker might stumble and hurt themselves as they set about this new path.
Where this symbol appears in the poem:
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“The Journey” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Anaphora
Anaphora emphasizes the speaker's sense of determination to prioritize their own life and needs. The first example is in lines 3-7:
though the voices around you
kept shouting
[...]
though the whole house
began to trembleThe anaphora of "though the" draws attention to the fact that the speaker makes this decision in spite of the obstacles: the bad advice of the voices, the trembling of the house. This happens again in lines 14-18 ("though the wind [...] was terrible."), the word "though" again signaling the difficulties the speaker faces as they begin their solitary journey towards a life more fully lived.
The last four lines of the poem ("determined to do [...] you could save.") also use anaphora, again underling the speaker's sense of determination as they strike off on their own. The repetition of the word "determined" (as well as the words "do" and "save") emphasizes the speaker's steadfast, resolute mindset. This person hasn't just made up their mind to live a more meaningful life, but is actually doing everything they can to act on that desire. Ending on this note gives the poem an inspirational thrust, encouraging the reader to feel they, too, have what it takes to choose what's best for themselves.
Where anaphora appears in the poem:- Lines 3-4: “though the voices around you / kept shouting”
- Lines 6-7: “though the whole house / began to tremble”
- Lines 14-15: “though the wind pried / with its stiff fingers”
- Lines 17-18: “though their melancholy / was terrible.”
- Line 33: “determined to do”
- Line 35: “determined to save”
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Extended Metaphor
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Personification
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Enjambment
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Repetition
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Consonance
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Alliteration
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Assonance
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"The Journey" Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Mend
- Pried
- Melancholy
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(Location in poem: Lines 10-11: “"Mend my life!" / each voice cried.”)
To repair or fix something that is broken or damaged.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Journey”
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Form
"The Journey" is a 36-line poem that takes the form of a single, rather narrow stanza. This is typical of Oliver's work, and also perhaps evocative of the poem's metaphorical journey: the poem's form, with its cascade of short, enjambed lines, propels the reader forward in much the same way the speaker is propelled by their own inner voice. The fact that Oliver doesn't impose any sort of traditional form on "The Journey" is also fitting for a poem about listening to oneself rather than depending on the advice of others.
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Meter
"The Journey" is a free verse poem, meaning it has no steady rhyme scheme or meter. A regular pattern of stressed beats would likely feel too rigid and formulaic for a poem about finally learning to listen to one's own inner voice. The lack of meter also adds to the poem's conversational tone; there's an ease and a casualness to the rhythm here. The speaker is at ease in the world because they have chosen to live life according to their own terms rather than the terms of those around them, and so there is a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in the way the speaker tells this story of breaking out on their own.
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Rhyme Scheme
There is no set rhyme scheme for this poem. In fact, the poem hardly uses rhyme at all—which, much like the poem's lack of meter, helps keep the tone intimate and casual throughout.
The only exception is in the first few lines of the poem, where /oo/ assonance results in both internal and end rhyme:
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around youThe fact that the poem begins these comparatively intense moments of rhyme/assonance evokes the sense of being surrounded by shouting voices; there is an echoing quality to all these /oo/ sounds. However, as the speaker moves toward living their own truth away from these voices, all rhyme fades.
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“The Journey” Speaker
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Readers don't know anything specific about the speaker, apart from the fact that this is someone who for too long listened to the "bad advice" of other people—people who expected the speaker to "mend," or fix, their lives. The speaker clearly felt at least somewhat responsible for others' well-being in the past, implied by the fact that seeing such people's "melancholy," or sadness, seems "terrible" to the speaker.
The speaker is looking back on all this from a present in which they're no longer reliant on other people's advice and demands. The use of the word "you" throughout the poem implies the speaker talking directly to this earlier version of themselves. The use of "you" draws the reader into the poem as well. The lack of any biographical information about the speaker—their age, gender, occupation, etc.—also makes it easy for a wide variety of readers to see their own journeys reflected here.
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“The Journey” Setting
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The setting of the speaker's "journey"—which seems to move from inside a house out into the night—is metaphorical. This "house" represents the speaker's the circumstances and relationships that the speaker must leave behind in order to forge their own path in life. The fact that it's "already late" as the speaker starts this journey suggests that the speaker has spent much of their life contending with the advice and needs of other people, while the fact that the night is "wild" implies that the journey towards self-reliance feels frightening and unpredictable. The path the speaker takes is also "full of fallen / branches and stones." In other words, the path that the speaker has chosen isn't easy; there are many obstacles, and the way isn't always clear. Yet, as the speaker moves forward, the "terrible" voices fade and stars begin to shine through the cloud cover, symbolically indicating that the speaker is beginning to feel a sense of clarity.
Note that this is all taking place in the past as well; the speaker is talking to their former self, which implies that the speaker has since learned to listen to and trust their gut.
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Literary and Historical Context of “The Journey”
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Literary Context
"The Journey" was published in Mary Oliver's first collection, No Voyage and Other Poems, in 1963. The poem displays many of the characteristics that would come to make Oliver one of America's best known—and bestselling—poets. Written in free verse with simple, direct language, "The Journey" is both highly accessible and inspirational.
While the natural setting in the poem serves as a metaphor for the "journey" of life, it also points to Oliver's lifelong fascination with nature. Oliver grew up idolizing the works of transcendentalist poets like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman, and later would become interested in the work of poets such as Edna St. Vincent Millay, Marianne Moore, and Elizabeth Bishop. Oliver was also firm in her belief that poetry should spiritually inspire and direct. For this reason, she was also very influenced by the works of Persian poets Rumi and Hafez, and also cited the Romantic poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats among her favorites.
Thematically, Oliver's poems often deal with love, beauty in the midst of difficulty, awe, and, as in the case of "The Journey," self-reliance. Because of her dedication to the more positive aspects of life (in a rare interview she said, "I don't mess around with what makes me unhappy when I'm writing") and her lack of formal experimentation, her work has been criticized as being overly sentimental. But while her work failed to gain traction in many academic circles during her lifetime, she is undoubtedly one of America's most widely read and beloved poets. She was also prolific, writing nearly 40 books—mostly poetry collections, but also some nonfiction—over the course of her life.
Historical Context
Mary Oliver was born in Maple Heights, Ohio in 1935. She left home at the age of 18, fleeing her father's sexual abuse and her mother's neglect (events this poem likely subtly references). She spent much of her childhood wandering around in the woods outside her home, jotting notes for poems. Being alone in the woods was a source of comfort and inspiration for Oliver, something that would remain true for the rest of her life.
Oliver met the photographer Molly Malone Cook in the late 1950s at the former home of Edna St. Vincent Millay; they fell in love quickly and would remain together for over 40 years, until Cook died. Homosexuality was far less accepted in the 1950s than it is in today's society—a fact that might shed further light on the events that inspired the poem's description of shutting out negative influences and forging one's own path in life.
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More “The Journey” Resources
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External Resources
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The Poem Out Loud — Listen to a recording of Oliver reading "The Journey."
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Oliver's Life and Work — Learn more about Oliver in this biography from the Poetry Foundation.
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The Summer Day — Another of Oliver's best known poems, which similarly touches on the theme of taking charge of one's own life and happiness.
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Mary Oliver and Amazement — An article by Rachel Syme about Oliver's legacy for the New Yorker.
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Oliver's Obituary — Read Oliver's 2019 obituary in The Washington Post.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Mary Oliver
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