Edwin Arlington Robinson's Poem Richard Cory

In Edwin Arlington Robinsons poem “Richard Cory” the narrator that is telling the story seems to be a person on the street looking at Richard Cory. The narrator is tell us what Cory does and other “people on the pavement” think about him (Robinson 855). Richard Cory is a handsome man, who has money and has great manners. Women want him, and men want to be him. However, he takes his life despite all his fortune. Richard Cory’s character advancement indicates to us, that even when we have everything we are not always happy. This poem starts out as Richard Cory going to down town and as he went “People from the Pavement looked at him” (Robinson 855). Downtown was an area of the town or village that was the poor district and the rich rarely when to it. This informed us that Cory did not go into downtown very often. He was a man whom people looked up to and inspired to be. Being a “gentleman from sole to crown,” tells us that he is well mannered, and is dressed in proper clothing (Robinson 855). Being well-mannered and properly cloth displays to us that he is educated in such things. Not many common people get to have an education and Cory does. However, he still takes his life because he is not happy with it. Richard Cory is human and is quietly arrayed (Robinson 855). He …show more content…
They saw his possessions and his manners and “wish that [they] were in his place” (Robinson 855). The people who were poor would want to be in his place because one would not go “without the meat and cursed the bread” with all the money Cory had. But they did not see the turmoil that was going on inside his life. A number of thing could have been wrong. He could have lost a family member or lost all his money in one night. The people, on the other hand, just saw an Idol to look up to. They “thought that he was everything” and that he was a happy man. But outer appearances can deceive anyone into thinking that having everything can make you