Edwin Arlington Robinson: The Falling Star

The Falling Star Edwin Arlington Robinson, even in his youth, was a pessimistic child. Robinson at the age of six wondered why he was even born. Although Robinson was undoubtedly a successful poet, the likes of twenty-sixth president Theodore Roosevelt praised his work. Readers can see Robinson’s bleak sense of like through his poems, (Web 1). While rising to heights in his career, he most certainly kept a dark outlook toward the world. In one of Robinson’s famous works ‘Richard Cory,” he demonstrates how in society everyone puts on a mask. In the poem a rich and popular man named Richard Cory is admired by people who were too blinded to see him losing against a struggle with his internal demons. To gain a better understanding of the circumstance …show more content…
It is not clear until the poems conclusion “And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, \Went home and put a bullet through his head.” (4. 3. 4. 534). The reference towards one calm summer night was the poet emphasizing the shock of the unexpected. The poet is evoking the image of summer; the sensation of relaxation and peace. A calm night evokes an image of a quiet and cool wind breeze. What is being evoked is an ideal or perfect night for anyone to live in, but not for Cory. The crowd adored him, but didn’t even notice any signs of his impending demise. “And he was rich-yes, richer than a king- \And admirably schooled in every grace:” (3. 1. 2. 534). Cory had everything from money to education. However no one wondered why he was wondering downtown where the people on the pavement lived and not with those of his equal in status. The adoring crowd downtown could not approach him without getting overwhelmed in their amazement of him simply being there. Cory had everything, but emotionally he was isolated. Nobody questioned why he wondered downtown, but from a modern perspective it was not uncommon for people with his status to wonder shady areas in search for substances to abuse over emotional