Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory” Analysis

Character of Richard Cory

Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory” describes a man named Richard Cory and how people see him. The man is described as extremely wealthy and privileged but it is later revealed that he commits suicide in his home. Robinson’s poem is short but does an extremely effective job of conveying the idea that wealth, possessions, and appearance cannot fix problems people have deeper inside and holes that they may have in their hearts. Robinson conveys this message through imagery, understatement, and symbolism.

The most prevalent literary device in Robinson’s “Richard Cory” is imagery. The piece is filled from beginning to end with images that help paint a picture for the reader. The first piece of imagery the reader is met with is in line four and states that Richard Cory was “clean favored, and imperially slim.” This quote is the first image of Richard Cory the reader comes across and does a good job of describing what the man looks like without taking too much focus off of the subject matter of the poem.

Robinson selected the words “imperially slim” quite intentionally to foreshadow that Cory does not have his life completely on track. The fact that he is so slim could mean he is not eating, a sign he is not completely emotionally or mentally sound. In line 9 it is written that Cory “glittered when he walked.” This image supports the notion of Cory’s extreme wealth so much so that he glittered when he walked, either literally or figuratively.

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This quote also gives insight into how the people of town saw Richard Cory; so high above them and more important than them that he glittered as he strolled through the town.

Understatement is a tool Robinson uses in the poem to convey the idea that Cory’s suicide meant very little to him. It was simply what he believed was his only option at the point in his life which he was at. The use of understatement is most obvious in the final line, number 18, when Robinson writes “[he] went home and put a bullet through his head.’ This quote shows, being in that it only uses one line to describe the action of a man taking his own life, how little Cory must have thought of what he was about to do. Not that it was a rash decision, rather that he believed it was his only option left in life. Another point of understatement in Robinson’s poem is when he describes Cory as someone that made the people “wish that [they] were in his place.” This quote seems to be an understatement of how jealous the people were of the man. He made their hearts flutter when he walked by and he glittered as he walked. The people of town must have had more of a desire to be in his shoes than simply wishing. This goes to show the sheer jealousy surrounding Richard Cory. It was his wealth and appearance that made people wish that they were him rather than the person that he actually was at heart. People saw his exterior appearance and made their whole view of him based on it. Nobody made an effort to get to know who Richard Cory is as a person, possibly a reason for his suicide.

Symbolism in Richard Cory

“Richard Cory” contains symbolism that gives the poem a second dimension of meaning and message. The greatest pieces of symbolism in the poem are in lines 15 and 16. The first piece of symbolism, in line 15, says, “So on we worked, and waited for the light.” This line is referring to the people of town. The people that looked up to Richard Cory. The people that had to work for every little thing they had and sometimes even for the things they were not able to have. The speaker of the poem tells the reader about having to go back to work after seeing Richard Cory on the street, and waiting for the light. The light that the speaker is referring to symbolize a time in which they will not be in extreme poverty. A time where working will no longer be the only way that the people of the town can maintain a life that is humane in any sense. Everyone in town has a light. For the speaker, the light is a time of rest and recovery from their constant work. Mr. Cory’s light is a time of connection. A time when he is no longer seen solely for the things he wears, the way he walks, and they way he speaks, but for the way he was made. The way he treats people, the way he has flaws like everyone else, and the way that he is just like everyone else in town. The next line in Robinson’s poem that contains symbolism is line 16 and it states, “And went without the meat, and cursed the bread.” This line is a continuation of line 15 described before, it literally describes the living conditions of the people of town that are presumed to be poor. They go without meat for eating and curse the bread that they do have as it is not enough for them. However, there is deeper meaning in this. This line also applies to Richard Cory, not in that he has no food to eat but rather that he goes without love, friendship, or even a genuine relationship at any level that has not been brought about by his wealth and stature. The people of town need their meat so that they do not starve and die. Mr. Cory, in his own respect, could have had his life saved by “meat,” in the sense of a meaningful connection that is deeper than the surface of his elegant clothing. Deeper than the glitter of his walk, deeper than the way he spoke, and deeper than the man that the whole town knew but never took the time to know.

Richard Cory was a man admired by many, but known by none. Robinson does an extremely good job conveying this in his short poem. In only 20 lines, Robinson is able to use imagery, understatement, and symbolism to describe the entire lifestyle of a man and the people that he was surrounded by. Robinson’s poem tells the reader all they need to know in very simple terms: holes in people’s hearts cannot be filled with money and things, only with love, compassion, and connection.