A sociological analysis of the poem
Richard Cory (Edwin Robinson)
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.
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.
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.
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.
The poem “Richard Cory” is more than hundred years old but still provides much of the
analytical insights of today’s society, also the great masterpieces of Edward Arlington who was
nominated four times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. In 1965, the poem was adapted by Simon
& Garfunkel for their second studio album. The article aims to analyze sociological viewpoint of
class difference in the poem that lower class always kept stuck in their cage of regression that
‘wealth solely is responsible for all delights and happiness of life’. The scenario of this great
narrative poem revolves around the character of Richard Cory by whom the people of small town
are inspired and fond of because of his riches and personality, can commit suicide. Moreover, the
speaker in the end of poem points out the economically devastating conditions of his fellow
beings and himself that how they were striving for the food and other basic necessities.
Richard Cory is one of the great masterpieces of Edward Arlington Robinson written in 1897 as
part of "The Children of the night". The scene and the imagination of poet are quite difficult to
perceive, however, after the death of Edward Robinson, many critics in America started to
recognize Edward and his works the great valuables. The speaker of the poem seems a middleclass man of the small town, who is narrating the story of a man Richard Cory in his poetic way.
In his narration, the reader can find the regret and affection for the character Richard Cory. But,
the poet, in the end, turns into a tragic turn when Richard Cory who was the inspiration for many
a people in the town shoot himself in the head.
The core of this point revolves around the mindset that rich person is always happy and delighted
while the poor think that happiness is only guaranteed by the wealth and money. It can be
experienced by the tone of the speaker in the poem that how he is exaggerating in glorifying the
personality of Richard Cory. The speaker perceives the personality and behavior of Richard
through his appearance, clothes, his way of talking and his wealth. Basically, the Richard Cory
illustrates the character sketch of the person in poet's hometown Gardiner, Maine.
Besides that, the speaker of the poem first narrates the irony and disasters of their economically
devastated condition that they have to strive hard for the food and bread in the daily routine of
their life, while the Richard Cory in their view is living their wishful life that he can do what he
wants to do because he owns much of the place in their town. But the speaker of the poem is
unable to look into the mind and emotions of Richard Cory that he is suffering from suicidal
depression. It is one of the fatal dilemmas of society that poor people assume that happiness and
delights of life can only be achieved through money and other material possessions, but the
suicide of the rich people in society and exclusively Richard Cory shooting himself in the head
describe the irony of life. This irony can be described that people expect something different and
meet something else. Along with that, the short story wrapped in the poem also points towards
the panic of 1893 in America which was the disaster for economic conditions in America which
remained till 1897.
It is thus not surprising that development and wellbeing of society are mainly connected to the
economic conditions of that society which if not achieved can lead the lower class to
conceptualize the meaning of life in materialism and money, strengthened by the feelings of
anger, mistrust and apathy experienced by them due to economic deprivations. Hence, the
message behind this poem is justifiable to much extent that a man should live in being mode not
in having mode. And, these are all the analogical aspects of the poem “Richard Cory” which led
to its fame.