The Role of Unfulfilled Expectations in E. A. Robinson's Richard Cory

Richard Cory written by Edwin Robinson was taken from the point of view of the townspeople around him. They make him out to be this rich, happy, and admirable man. “In fine, we thought that he was everything. To make us wish that we were in his place.” To everyone in the town, he seemed like a great guy; someone everyone wanted to be. They distanced themselves from him though, put him on a pedestal. The town says

As Americans, many of us believe in this principle of the American Dream. The American Dream, in its simplicity, is the notion that anything, especially career wise, is achievable. We usually associate this concept with obtaining material things, such as cars or a fancy house. But, even if you achieve your American Dream, complete with a car and fancy house, does that really mean you achieved happiness? The poem “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson is a testament to this idea that although someone may have everything there is to want, that does not really mean they have true happiness.

It was after Cory started to achieve more than his father that they began to have such a great conflict. He was offered a football scholarship and when word got to his father about the potential success, he tried to prevent Cory from surpassing his life standings. After many more fallouts, Cory was kicked out of the house. He took another path. Later on, he joined the marines that show he was not a failure even though he didn’t stay with football and school. Not only had his father stripped his dreams from him, but his happiness as well. At the ended of the play we saw Cory’s father died and Cory tried to escape his dad’s funeral when he got back from

Robinson gives a physical description of Richard Cory as "Clean favored, and imperially slim." While this seems to be physical, many symbolic issues of wealth are expressed through this line. Cory is once again given a description of royalty by being called "imperially slim" and by also being "clean favored" he seems he may be above all else or at least that aura was personified. In Simon's poem, rather than royal traits, Cory is given characteristics of being "everything a man could want: power, grace, and style." These traits move from a regal standpoint, to one usually associated with famous, sophisticated people. This repositioning of the American Dream is apparent after evaluating the way wealth transformed the way the public viewed Richard Cory.

The speaker of the poem recounts that Richard Cory was a “gentleman from sole to crown, clean favored, and imperially slim” and that he was “richer than a king”. The words “crown”, “imperially”, and “king” hints that people viewed Richard Cory as a man of high status and royalty. Even though he was a man who was unlike any other, “he was always human when

Even as a kid, Cory’s dreams were impacted by his father's career struggles. Cory’s relationship with this father is deeply strained and shown when Cory states, “You ain’t never given me

To the people of low income Richard Cory Was One of the most Richest person he was a Gentelman and treated everyone with decent pleasure .to the people they thought that he had it all and he had nothing to want for.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” is a saying that most people have heard since they were young, but this saying can also be applied to people just as well. One cannot judge another just by looks, and if one does, the assumptions made are most likely wrong. In Robinson’s “Richard Cory,” Richard Cory is envied by the poor because he is rich and has everything he could possibly want, or at least that what they think. To the common people he seems to be happy and kind, and everything in his life must be perfect. But the common people only envy Richard Cory because of their assumptions. By the end of the poem the people learn that his life must have not have been all that it seemed to be because he ended up committing suicide. Even when someone has everything in life, like power and wealth, and they seem happy, they might not be happy with their life because if they already have everything, there’s nothing to live for or to work for. It shows that people can’t be judged by what they look like or what they show you just to be polite. This poem shows that a person’s personality and character cannot be judged just by what they look like, and most assumptions made of a person shouldn’t be based on first impressions because they don’t do people justice to who

Richard Cory and Miniver Cheevy, both are shunned from society neither having any real friends. Richard Cory is admired by his peers, whereas, Miniver Cheevy is different; people did not look up on him. One man giving the impression to have everything takes his own life, while the other had nothing accepts his misery. For Richard Cory, the saying money cannot buy happiness, could not be more appropriate. He is, according to the people of the town, the man with everything. “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.

This time Cory put his foot down to the endless insults thrown by the brothers, and he stood up for not just himself but also his friends, which was a way that his friends had made him mentally grow. More than once in this story do Cory’s friends influence the way that Cory matures, and they especially do that when Cory is talking to Davy Ray whilst Davy is on his deathbed. Cory is scared and most likely feels alone at that moment since he is helping his friend to be able to go in peace. But his past experiences with his friends have helped him get to a point where he is able to put his own feelings aside and help his friend who needs it more. Both of these times in the story show the ways that Cory’s friends were part of the reasoning to why he mentally matured from a boy into a young man.

Questions 1. Why did you choose Alaska to run off to? Throughout my quest I traveled from the east to the west looking for the ultimate adventure but I need some place to start before I jump into the wild. I did a lot of traveling before I ran into Alaska, which many people think I did but that is incorrect.

Cory was so hurt by his father actions that when he died he did not wished to attend his funeral for the rencor he carried in his heart. Here Cory learns to forgive and grieves truly his father's death.

It is ironic how the people of down-town portrayed Richard Cory. They presumed, “he was everything/ To make us wish that we were in his place.” (Line 11-12). This great example of alliteration helps explain the fact he was viewed as the luckiest guy around. His life ended suddenly from a gun trigger pulled by himself. The way Cory’s death is described is situationally ironic. “One calm summer night” (15) is the day Cory chose to end his life. There is nothing calm about a suicide, and summer nights are generally known to be the best times of the year. The people of down town “worked, and waited for the light,” (13) waiting for their lives to get better. This great use of metaphor and alliteration helps convey the idea the people supposed they were enduring difficult times when in fact, Cory was dying from the inside out. They believed, “he glittered when he walked.” (8) and viewed him as if he were a sunshine hovering below the sun, when in reality, inside he felt like a cloudy storm. Happiness does not have a price tag and the people of down-town now understand that.

He tried to speak to the people on the pavement however “he fluttered pulses when he said ‘Good Morning”. The people on the pavement put Richard Cory on a pedestal and therefore could not speak to him. They envied him and hated him they wanted his life so easy, so simple, and so happy. They continued to work and hope that one day they too could be as rich and as happy as Richard Cory, hating him even more everyday they “went without meat”. Then “Richard Cory, one calm summer night, went home and put a bullet through his head”. One calm summer night implies there was nothing special or unusual about that particular night, it was the same as any other and yet the town’s god/outcast, commits suicide, for apparently no reason. Robinson gives no insight into Cory’s mind, we can only assume he was so miserable that he could not bear to go another day, with the people on the pavement looking at him and hating him more and more.