Mary Oliver: Animal Symbolism and Lessons in Belonging

Written by: Ryan Krishna

Mary Oliver spent many years of her life exploring the forests, lakes, and salt marshes of New England. For Oliver, animals were never simply background decoration; they were moral companions that guided the lives of the individuals they came into contact with. These animals often represent the importance of attention, responsibility, and joy in one’s life. Exploring their presence across her work reveals just how deeply the natural world shapes Oliver’s spiritual and poetic imagination. 

Consider Mary Oliver’s much-loved poem, “Wild Geese.” Oliver does not start with doctrine or advice on self-improvement; rather, she starts with the opposite: “You do not have to be good / You do not have to walk on your knees/ for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. / You only have to let the soft animal of your body / love what it loves.” In this poem, the geese are messengers, with their movement southward serves as a metaphor for one’s own pursuit of belonging. 

For Oliver, the outside world reveals significant truths about the workings of life. This theme is consistent throughout her work—Oliver often sets up scenes such as a field after rain or a heron lifting off from the marsh, and then laces her own thoughtful narrative throughout the piece. This work is done expertly, and, as in “Wild Geese,” readers are led and accept their place in life and act with care toward themselves and the natural world. 

Now let’s move to another part of Oliver’s work—Dog Songs, her collection focused entirely on dogs. Here the animals are not distant symbols but immediate companions; their proximity shifts the scale of Oliver’s ideas from large-scale landscapes to everyday domestic settings.

In “Little Dog’s Rhapsody in the Night,” a small dog sleeps against the speaker. The description is direct—“He puts his cheek against mine / and makes small, expressive sounds.” The scene points to an animal’s trusting, calm presence that humans often struggle to maintain; the dog’s ease is a metaphor for accepting rest without guilt or anxiety. 

Other poems reinforce this lesson. In “School,” a little retriever running down the shoreline illustrates uncomplicated joy. In “Luke,” a dog that faithfully stops and adores every flower represents a love for nature’s beauty. Each narrative identifies a specific behavior—rest, play, loyalty— and presents it as an example of how to move through daily life with a more attentive outlook. 

Oliver uses animals as symbols to push a variety of messages forward; she guides us to watch the living world closely and note its lessons on attention, belonging, and joy. Ultimately, Oliver’s poetry offers a disciplined practice of attention that renews our sense of belonging within the larger community of life.

 

Featured Image Caption: Mary Oliver and her dog, Percy