Richard Cory, a wealthy, smart, good-looking man that has the ideal lifestyle that everyone only dreams to have. Unfortunately, his lifestyle leads to his suicide. The storyteller in Edwin Robinson’s poem, Richard Cory, describes the views of folks who notice Richard Cory when he appears and walk down the road. The story takes place during an economic depression, where everyone is trying their best to provide for their respective families. When they see Richard Cory, they instantly start to talk about him. Their surprise at witnessing a wealthy man signifies to the reader that it is a small, little town. Everyone recognizes Richard Cory as an important and superior man. Appearance wise, they find Richard Cory to be the opposite of them. Rich, smart, good-looking, humble, respected; He had it all. To them, Richard Cory seemed like a man they could only wished to be. The following factors will prove that Richard Cory is a man the citizens could only wish to be. Richard Cory appears superior to the other citizens of the town, Richard Cory’s words and actions are perceived to be better than the common citizen, and Richard Cory’s perceived lifestyle led to envy from the local population.
Richard Cory appears superior to the other citizens of the town. The first two phrases show how different Richard Cory is from the average person. In the first two stanza, Edwin Robinson says “Whenever Richard Cory went downtown/ We people on the pavement looked at him” (1-2). As soon as Richard Cory is spotted, everything stops. They all watch a praised man walk down a simple street. People of the town describe themselves as “people on the pavement”, which shows how they feel that Richard Cory is above them. Them being on the sidewalk or street and Richard Cory being on the sidewalk, represents how physically Richard Cory is superior to them. Another example of the citizens view of Richard Cory being superior to the town, Is when Edwin Robins...