The Journey by Mary Oliver Poem Analysis
The Journey by Mary Oliver poem analysis shows us that we must save ourselves, and our being is the home we must maintain. Evolution is change and as we shift seasons, we enter a time of reflection and rebirth.
Mary Oliver was a lover of nature, and the earth has abundant lessons to teach us, if only we choose to listen. And as the leaves begin to change, so must we. The Journey is a poem about saving yourself.
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Autumns gift
You may have noticed your trees turn crisp red and orange hues and the gentle brisk chill of the morning. The autumn equinox is greeting us if you're in the Northern Hemisphere. As we move towards the colder months, like mammals, we desire to hibernate; eat heavier foods, dwell underneath our throw blankets, and drink hot chocolate as we watch the snow cover the ground.
We are left with more time to reflect on our lives. These frosty seasons turn us into ourselves, to recall where we have been and where we are headed. Mortality may even cross our minds once or twice.
This poem fills me with those questions: am I living a meaningful and fulfilling lifestyle? Am I content with my choices? How did I handle the bends in my road?
This month I ask you to reflect on what is and isn't working in your life because it's time to shed a layer of your skin. Just like nature, metamorphosis is necessary for rebirth.
Leave a comment below and share some of your discoveries.
About the Author
Mary Oliver was a poet and seeker of the natural world. Her passion for nature blossomed through her poetry, allowing mentors in prose from Whitman and Thoreau to influence the verse. She sought to be around nature, finding solidarity and peace within its wonder. Born in 1935, Oliver began writing poetry as a teenager and won numerous awards throughout her career; she lived until 2019.
The Journey by Mary Oliver Poem Analysis
First impression of the poem
The first time I read this poem, I grew emotional because the meaning of its prose is the lesson I continue to learn: you can and must only save yourself. The poem pulled me in with its vulnerability and relatability.
Reflections
This autumn, I'm determined to modify elements of myself for a peaceful internal presence. I don’t know about any of you, but the lockdown disfigured my psyche. We were all facing the truth we hide away from, we are mortal. I became forced to deal with the difficulties of my youth. The grief and amplified flaws in my personality I pushed away. I felt frantic. I told myself I was evolving when I only seemed to learn new words expressing the unfulfilled necessary changes - until now. Navigating through the suffocating anxieties of learned environmental behaviors will allow me to feel confident in my heart and soul. And this takes daily practice; it is my journey. But the path is necessary, and only I can walk down it. You have yours.
My focus and discipline must remain sharp. With a genuine passion for my writing and creative career, remaining open-hearted, expressing my fears, and most importantly, laughing. I’m determined to save the only thing I can - me.
Analysis
Personification - The house represents the body. The body is your home. You must keep up with the maintenance and weather the elements. Oliver shows how outside forces can tear it down, but you must lay your foundation with brick, not wood. Your soul is your foundation, and nothing can break that down if it's sturdy.
Imagery -
"though the wind pried / with its stiff fingers / at the very foundations,"
The Journey, Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver shows that the grasp of the wind is trying to tear down the foundation of the house. She's expressing the outside forces that try and tear you down if your foundation isn't firm.
"the stars began to burn / through the sheets of clouds, "
The Journey, Mary Oliver
Oliver is describing the will to burn away the pieces of you that cloud your vision. We all have elements that hinder our personalities, and the learned behaviors we must overcome. Stop allowing the clouds to blind you because behind their layers is an abundance of stars waiting for you to discover them.
Theme - You can only save yourself.
We are responsible for our being, and nothing comes from acting like a victim in this world of adversity. As the psychologist Jordan B. Peterson says, "Of course you're a victim, you're going to die one day. Everyone you love is going to die." Life is suffering, but that's not all it is. How do we reconcile that?
By living a meaningful existence, which in turn ripples to those around us and creates harmony. Save yourself and lead by example.
As we shift from summer to fall, or if you are shifting from winter to spring, I encourage you to take time to reflect on what is meaningful to you. Are you following your heart, building a stable home and maintaining it? The Journey by Mary Oliver poem analysis is a meditation for us to consider how to implement the changes we need to save ourselves.
