ANALYSIS OF EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON’S “RICHARD CORY”
First Stanza
“Whenever Richard Cory went downtown,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean-favored, and imperially slim”.
This is our introduction to the eponymous character, Richard Cory. He is held in great esteem by the townspeople. This is clear as he attracts their attention for they ‘looked at him and noted that “He was a gentleman from sole to crown’. The final line of this stanza suggests that he was a morally upright fellow, and the adjective ‘imperially’ implies that he carries a sense of grace and regality about his person.
Second Stanza
“And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good Morning!” and he glittered when he walked”.
The repetition of ‘and he was always’ shows consistency and warmth of character. The fact that ‘he was always human’ indicates his sincerity. Despite his wealth and good looks, he talked to people without condescension or pretension. However, this does not stop him from causing a stir when he wishes them “Good Morning!” The exclamation mark suggests that he has a genuine pleasure in meeting others. The verb ‘glittered’ is ambiguous as it hints at both his sparkling personality, but in the literal sense, it could be his watch or other accouterments which glint when they catch the sunlight.
Although he was ‘quietly arrayed’ there was something intoxicating about his person which meant that as he passed he ‘fluttered pulses’. We have the immediate image of young ladies catching their breaths and fanning themselves as he passed, and the men looking on wistfully, wishing that they possessed something of his wealth and charm.
ANALYSIS OF EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON’S “RICHARD CORY”
Third Stanza
“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”.
After suggesting that he came from a monied background, we are now informed that this was indeed the case, and the dashes in the line serve to emphasize the point. The assertion ‘yes’ and the comparative line ‘richer than a king’ snare the interest of the reader. We wonder how this man has made his fortune and picture some dashing Gatsby-like character. However, unlike Jay Gatsby who rose to wealth through illegal means such as gambling and bootlegging, Richard Cory appears to have acquired his riches through hereditary means, by the reference to a king, or perhaps through business. A doubt is sown in our minds in line three of this stanza where the speaker states ‘We thought that he was everything. This alerts us to the fact that all may not be well, and also reminds us of the old adage, ‘be careful what you wish for.’ The final monosyllabic line with its frequent alliteration propels us along to the poem’s conclusion.
Fourth Stanza
“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”.
In this stanza, the speaker alludes to the difficulties faced by the other inhabitants of the town. The ‘so’ at the beginning almost carries a sigh, to suggest fatigue and hardship. There is an obvious discrepancy between the life led by the gentleman, Richard Cory, and the people who look up to him. While he ‘allegedly’ enjoys the good life, the others struggle. This is conveyed through the long-drawn-out assonance and the repeated ‘w’ sounds in the first two lines of the stanza. They have insufficient money even to have access to the most basic of goods since they ‘went without the meat and cursed the bread’, which was obviously of poor quality and lacking in nourishment. Even the word ‘cursed’ stands out here, as it seems ill-fitting after the descriptions of Cory.
ANALYSIS OF EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON’S “RICHARD CORY”
There is thus a disparity between their lives and that of Cory, except they are not alone in their suffering. Such are his demons, that he shocks them all, by returning home from one of his strolls in town ‘and putting a bullet through his head’. The reader is left speechless by this revelation, and the fact that this event is preceded by the line ‘one calm summer night’ further compounds their shock. We are left wondering what on earth could have preempted the suicide of a man who appeared to have everything, including the respect of the townspeople.
THEMES IN ANALYSIS OF EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON’S “RICHARD CORY”
- THE THEME OF WEALTH
Major Themes in “Richard Cory”: Wealth, appearance versus reality and real happiness are significant themes of the poem. Throughout the poem, Richard Cory’s contended looks, gentle behavior, and wealth make people believe that he is happier than them. People’s perceptions of Richard Cory are only based on external factors; they lack the necessities; therefore, his luxurious lifestyle attracts them. Unfortunately, they lack the insight to peep into his struggle and mental loneliness that lead him to commit suicide. Thus, the poem suggests that wealth and status do not ensure happiness.
- THE THEME OF SOCIAL CLASSIFICATION
The poem is about a wealthy man who often walks through the poverty-stricken streets, showing an upright position. His apparent satisfied look makes the lowly people envy him. He appears as a person from the upper-class, who always walks around with gentle behavior. Even his simple morning greetings win him admiration from the townspeople. To them, he seems to be a role model, having all the amenities of life at his beck and call. They have been waiting for the good days for ages, while he walks around, having all the blessings. However, the poem takes a tragic turn when one calm summer day he commits suicide. In the midst of this commotion, what stays in the minds of the readers is that having the greatest financial status does not mean that the person is leading a satisfying life. The poem is also an encouragement to have closer look at a family member or friends who are hiding any mental health issues.
ANALYSIS OF EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON’S “RICHARD CORY”
TONE
The entire poem, before the last line, displays a tone of admiration and respect. The poorer, lower-class townspeople respect and admire Richard Cory. They look up to him, literally and figuratively. They want to be him. This build-up of Richard Cory’s character allows the last line to have a huge impact. The impact and irony of the last line is used to emphasize Robinson’s point that looks can be deceiving and to give the poem an ironic tone in the end.
POETIC DEVICES
Literary devices are tools that give deeper meanings to the text. The analysis of literary devices used in this poem has been given below.
- Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. For example, “And he was” in the first stanza of the poem is repeated to emphasize the point such as; “And he was always quietly arrayed, And he was always human when he talked”.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /ow/ in “Whenever Richard Cory went downtown” and the sound of /i/ in “To make us wish that we were in his place”.
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession. For example, the sound of /w/ in “To make us wish that we were in his place.”
- Allusion: Allusion is an indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, political, or literary significance. For example, the last stanza shows the poverty of the people, “And went without the meat, and cursed the bread.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; instead, it rolls over to the next line. For example, “In fine, we thought that he was everything; To make us wish that we were in his place”.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “We people on the pavement looked at him”, “Went home and put a bullet through his head” and “And went without the meat, and cursed the bread.”
- Irony: Irony means to use words in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. The subject of the poem is ironic as the person seems a happy man having all the pleasures of life, yet he commits suicide at the end.
- Metonymy: It is a type of figurative language in which an object or concept is referred to not by its name, but instead by the name of something closely associated with it. For example, in the second line of the poem, the word “people” may suggest to the narrator or the general public, “We people on the pavement looked at him.” The second example is in the thirteenth line, where “light” stands for the morning.
- Synecdoche: It is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is used for the whole. For example, in the last stanza, “bread” and “meat” represent the entire meal such as; “And went without the meat, and cursed the bread.
Other poetic devices
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Edwin Arlington Robinson has used end rhyme in this poem such as; “town/crown”, “him/slim” and “talked/walked.”
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here each stanza is quatrain.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows ABAB rhyme Scheme and this pattern continues till the end.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem with each comprised of four lines.
ANALYSIS OF EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON’S “RICHARD CORY”