Poetry Analysis: "Ricard Cory" by, Edwin Arlington Robinson

Poetry Analysis

February 10, 2014

Richard Cory: The Dark Side of Wealth, Respect, and Success

            The poem, “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson illustrates the notion of faulty perceptions and judgments based on appearance. On the surface, the poem is about a wealthy man named Richard Cory who is highly admired by those around him; however, despite his envious lifestyle and likeable character, he ends up killing himself.  This drastic contradiction between Cory’s outward appearance and his inward struggles illustrate the notion that judgments based on an individual’s appearance and materialistic possessions are fruitless.

                Although the poem ends in the death character Richard Cory, the word choice used and the overall mood of the poem is pleasant. For example, the first stanza sets a pleasant tone using word choice in both denotative and connotative word meanings. The first stanza states:
            "Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
            We people on the pavement looked at him:
            He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
            Clean favored and imperially slim". (Lines 1-4)

Here, the words "sole" and "crown" are used both literally and figuratively. The word "sole" is used
refer to both the sole's of his feet and his actual soul. The word "crown" refers to the crown of his head, as well as a crown of royalty as he was seen as a king to the speaker and the townspeople. This use of figurative language suggests that Richard Cory was a true gentleman down to his soul---he was pure of heart, kind, and good. He was also seen as a king in that he was powerful, respected, and successful (Sweet). This stanza introduces Richard Cory as the man that the people thought he was through pleasant word choice; however, in the third stanza the mood shifts when the speaker reveals the notion that there is a darker side to Richard Cory no one knew.

The poem is a narrative and told from third person perspective which parallels the relationship between the speaker and Richard Cory because, third person narrative suggests a distance between a speaker and a character. This distance is also illustrated through the speaker's faulty perception of Richard Cory, as the speaker doesn't truly know Cory. For example, the speaker observes a man named Richard Cory who is perceived as “having it all” (Kavka).  In the second stanza the speaker states:

            “And he was rich - yes, richer than a king -

And admirably schooled in every grace:

In fine, we thought that he was everything

To make us wish that we were in his place (Lines 9-12)”.

Here, Richard Cory is described as rich, educated, and admirable. Those who watched and knew him wanted to be “in his place” However, in the third line within this stanza the speaker states “we thought that he was everything" (line 11). This word choice foreshadows the notion that they were wrong because, they didn’t know he was everything, they only  thought he was everything.  The latter supports the idea that their positive perception of Cory, based on his wealth and education, wasn’t worthy of envy at all.

            In the last stanza the speaker reveals the unfortunate truth that Richard Cory's success, wealth, and good character offered him true happiness. In the very last line, the speaker reveals that Richard Cory killed himself, thus supporting the notion that the townspeople did not look past beyond his appearance and materialistic possessions to see that maybe Cory had a dark side. The last stanza states:

            "So on we worked, and waited for the light,
             And went without the meat and cursed the bread;
            And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
            Went home and put a bullet through his head".

Here, the speaker waits until the very last line of the poem to reveal Cory's suicide. This tactic is used to surprise the reader as the speaker and the townspeople were surprised. His death was a shock to the townspeople and comes to a shock to the readers. Even the word choice used to describe the night of Cory's death is pleasant: "one calm summer night". The night was calm--peaceful, quiet, and it was summer---warm, sunny, and fun. The speaker didn't use the words "One rainy winter night", which would mirror an image of a dark death. This use of pleasant imagery and figurative language leaves the readers guessing, just like the towns people were left guessing: Why did Richard Cory kill himself if he seemed to have everything?

            The speaker uses figurative language and pleasant imagery to illustrate the notion that judgments based on an individual’s appearance and materialistic possessions are fruitless. Throughout the poem the mood is light but takes a twist in the third stanza when the speaker reveals the townspeople "thought" Cory had everything and shortly he kills himself. This notion illustrates the distance between the townspeople as Cory was seen as some to be observed instead of someone to be interacted with. This could suggest that although he was wealthy and a gentleman, Cory was also lonely; however, it is never revealed why Cory killed himself. Readers are only left with the implication that money, wealth, and success doesn't dictate a person's happiness and judgments are fruitless when based on an individual's appearance.

Works Cited
Kavka, Jerome. "Richard Cory's Suicide: A Psychoanalyst's View." Colby Quarterly 11.3 (1975):

Sweet Jr, Charles A. "A Re-Examination of" Richard Cory"." Colby Quarterly 9.11 (1972): 4