I have never quite viewed this gem of a poem quite like
others. It seems there is more in what is unstated than in what is given in the 16
lines E.A. Robinson chooses to give.
Interestingly enough,
the reader knows very little about Richard Cory except what the townspeople see. There
is no evidence that he is warm and kindly to the townspeople. Yet to them, he is a
"gentleman from sole to crown," and he is physically appealing as well; the narrator
tells the reader he is "Clean favored, and imperially slim." That first verse says
nothing about goodness or kindness. There is no hint that he has any friends. He is
simply observed by others. Preceding verses never mention any social relationships
either.
He is friendly enough when he says "good morning,"
and he "glittered when he walked," but one presumes he walks
alone.
But what the townspeople really envy is his wealth,
"yes, he was richer than a king," which made people "wish that [they] were in his
place."
In the final stanza, poor, lonely Richard Cory
"Went home and put a bullet through his brain." The townspeople were not mistaken about
Richard Cory. Everything they saw was right. But it is what they didn't see. There is
clearly an emptiness, a loneliness, an alienation about the descriptions of the man.
E.A. Robinson tells more about Richard Cory with what he leaves out of the poem than
what he includes.
Sadly, the townspeople fail to view their
own lives as having value because they lacked what Richard Cory had in his life. Maybe
with his death, the townspeople will realize they are mistaken about their own lives.
Nobody in that town knew Richard Cory, and Richard Cory knew none of the
townspeople.
One can presume, therefore, that the poem is a
scathing satire on the idea that wealth and good breeding can bring joy and purpose to
one's life, and that lack of "meat" and the struggle to earn "bread" (money?) may not
suggest an empty life. Economics may have little to do with a satisfying
existence.
No comments:
Post a Comment