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Analysis of Night Mother and Richard Cory Essay

Decent Essays

"Night Mother" and "Richard Cory" are two pieces that both deal with suicide. The characters in both are so different, yet at the same time, very much alike. Both contain a lot of surprises and even somewhat confusing parts. The reader is left asking themselves why the characters in both of these writings had to end it all. Did they really have it that bad?

"Night Mother" deals with a woman named Jessie who suffers from epilepsy and lives with her mother, who is named Thelma. From the beginning one can see that Thelma talks non stop and that Jessie is not very happy with her current situation. Jessie begins to inquire about the whereabouts of her father's gun. At first she claims that it is for protection, but then soon …show more content…

Jessie breaks free, closes the door, and we hear the fatal gunshot.

"Richard Cory" is a short poem that throws the reader a complete swerve. The writer seems to portray Richard Cory as a man who people admire, a man that people are in awe of. He is wealthy and intelligent, and everyone would love to be in his position. "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." (9-12).

All of a sudden, the final two lines reveal that Richard Cory actually commits suicide. "And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, went home and put a bullet through his head."(15-16). Why did Cory do it? What are the reasons?

When comparing the two writings, we see how similar, yet how different they are. The first couple of lines in "Richard Cory" suggest his distinction, his separation from ordinary people. The second two tell the reader about his natural appearance is like. The writer than gives us the impression that Cory is a rich man who seems to be envied by everyone. The first fourteen lines of the poem are setting the reader up for the final two, the part about suicide. People on the street only knew Cory on the outside, they did not know the real man himself. Cory appears to be a man who has everything. What private sense of failure drove him to this?

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