Oliver received the National Book Award in 1992 after the publication of the New and Selected Poems, Volume One. The volume became one of the best-selling literary arts in the US, fourteen years later since it initially appeared. The volume consisted of thirty published collections of poems, and from her eight books, she had written first. Her works majorly focused on the occurrences of nature quietly, the motionless ponds as well as the industrious hummingbirds. Besides, her poetry was also rooted firmly in the traditional nature of romance (Burton-Christie, 1996). She was largely influenced by both Thoreau and Whitman. Her works were subjected to critical attention and criticism in the early days. Some of her themes were similar to those of Thoreau’s as discussed in this paper.
One of the major themes that are found in the majority of the poems by Mary Oliver is the need for spiritual awakening. It is the mode in which one realizes and finds the truths in their lives often embedded under the daily affairs’ mounds. It is for this reason that the awakening of the spirit ought to be a major quintessential life component. In many of her poems, spiritual awakening gives the rise of many other themes, especially when Mary contemplates specifically on nature and its occurrence. In her poem The Mindful, which is one of her popular works, she lays a clear focus on the things that occur in an everyday setting. Readers are invited by Mary in the sharing of the speaker’s delight that she finds as being alive and perceptive simply. “I was in the haystack of light, what I was born for, to look, to listen” (Oliver, 2004). In this poem, Mary typically makes use of deliberations that are quietly spoken, as well as thoughts that are well reflected to awaken the souls of the reader. She also makes use of her power of examination and description to draw out the natural world’s essences then uses a spiritual and philosophical abstraction. In general, The Mindful poem results from an outdoor walk, as well as a close study of the natural world and the inner self with an open heart and mind.
In her other poem, The Journey, the poem lays a focus on the need to start on a new path by leaving behind the wrong and harmful ways. “Tell me, what do you plan to do, with your precious and wildlife?” (Oliver, 1986). Here, she gets deep into the skin of the listener, whispering, and speaking to their souls for them to find meaning in their self-relationship. The poem thus lays out the need for changing for the better and leaving out the negative deeds. The person here is one who needs a spiritual awakening, coming from the cold world and joining the light by finding their voice and no longer living a broken life.
Mary’s theme of spiritual awakening is also found in some of the works by Thoreau, in many of his literary works. Thoreau often likes to challenge and tease his readers in many of his works. In his book Walden, he creates an emphasis on the importance of contemplation, solitude, and closeness to nature. He is also able to use this theme of spiritual awakening in criticizing the contemporary culture in the western world due to their materialistic and consumerist attitudes and their distancing from the natural destruction. Among other issues, Thoreau calls for the spiritual awakening towards is the observation of man as being a component of nature, a clear awakening on the contemplation of nature itself and reflecting it through the human emotions as well as the awakening of the state over the corrupt and the unjust (Thoreau, 1971).
In conclusion, Mary Oliver speaks to us in a more appealing and persuasive voice. She insists on the need for self-reflection and the need to conduct a soul-searching process on ourselves and the issues surrounding us. Since she was inspired by other writers such as Thoreau, it can, therefore, be noted on the relationship between her works and Thoreau’s especially on the theme of spiritual awakening. Both writers thus strive to talk about delicate issues that affect us, calling for us to rise and take