"Richard Cory"

"Richard Cory" is a poem with a twist in the ending that was well written by Mr. Edwin Arlington Robinson. After reading Edwin Arlington Robinson's biography, I felt depressed. He felt that he was "unhappy, pessimistic" and his writing reflected that (Robinson 573). In both "Richard Cory" and "Miniver Cheevy", the writing style has a dark and ironic feeling. "Richard Cory" started off cheery as the description regarding Richard Cory was that he was handsome, causing "fluttering pulses" when he talked, and he was rich and admired (Robinson 575). The poem is all chipper and happy until the last two lines when "on a calm summer night" he killed himself (Robinson 575). The classic Robinson ironic writing: the seemingly happy, rich, handsome man who is envied by those who can not afford "meat... bread" is truly the unhappy one and commits suicide (Robinson 575). Edwin Arlington Robinson said that he wrote "Richard Cory" to serve as "an object lesson" that having "wealth, prestige, and privilege" does not equivalent to happiness (Bruccoli). Henry David Thoreau was not a believer of material wealth as "wealth can not buy freedom" (Cisco). He thought that while wealth was important to maintain a lifestyle above poverty, it was not necessary to be free and happy (Cisco). He would have acknowledged Richard Cory's suicide as a testament to his opinion that wealth does not equate happiness. Richard Cory seemed to have it all to the poorer people in his community, and he kept a good mask to promote that view of him, not letting anyone know his suicidal thoughts except that he was "human when he talked" (Robinson 575). That showed that he might be rich and better off then the other people in the town, but emotionally was a distant second to the poorer people. Robinson thought that the less fortunate people were only less fortunate according to physical means, but was better off emotionally and spiritually, and did not need to "long to switch places" with Richard Cory (Bruccoli).




Bruccoli, Matthew J., and Judith S. Baugman. "Richard Cory." Student's Encyclopedia of American Literary Characters. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 04 Mar. 2012.

Cisco, Michael. "Henry David Thoreau: Bachelor of Thought and Nature." In Bloom, Harold, ed. Henry David Thoreau, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 04 Mar. 2012.

Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Richard Cory." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 573-576. Print.