Summary
The speaker begins by stating that Richard Cory is a sight to behold whenever he goes down town. Slim and well-groomed, Cory exudes nobility from head to foot. The people in his community are enraptured by him.
Despite Cory's humility, the townspeople perceive him as a glittering demigod due to his class and education. Cory's mode of behavior and dress are quiet. The speaker notes Cory's humanity when he speaks, yet others don't feel at ease around him. He "[flutters] pulses" just by saying good-morning (Line 7).
Cory is also supremely wealthy; the speaker states that Cory is "richer than a king" (Line 9). The townspeople admire his education in both social decorum and intellectual pursuits. The speaker earnestly admits that everyone in the community wishes to be in Cory's place.
The townspeople continue their lives of work, financial hardship, and sacrifice. They go without meat and curse the bread they eat. Meanwhile, Cory returns home one evening and takes his own life by shooting himself in the head.
Analysis
"Richard Cory" is a poem that reveals the searing contrast between public image and private life, appearance and reality. Robinson uses situational irony to reveal the private suffering that the character Richard Cory experiences. Irony is a tool that allows the writer to expose discrepancies existing between perception and reality. The fifteen lines that precede the final line of the poem define Cory's character from the perspective of a speaker who represents the townspeople, creating a gap between what the reader has been led to believe about Richard Cory and the truth about his character. In only one line—fewer than ten words and less than a dozen syllables—the poem shatters its carefully constructed image of the American Dream.
The name "Richard Cory" itself exemplifies the contrast between the character's public image and private life. Here is a man who is extremely rich, but whose core self will never be known. The speaker recounts how whenever Cory goes down town, the townspeople observe him. The speaker refers to the community of which he is a part of as "We people on the pavement" (Line 2). The consonance of the "p" sound implies that they belong there, working hard on the streets. This creates an "Us versus Them," or perhaps an "Us versus Him" dynamic. Cory is not one of these "people on the pavement." The spatial arrangement of his having to travel for the community even to see him highlights their differences.
The speaker describes Cory as "a gentleman from sole to crown" (Line 3). "Sole to crown" means from the bottom up, but the specific words used hold significance. "Crown" obviously implies royalty, as in a king who wears a crown. The word "sole" is a homophone: though spelled differently, it sounds exactly like "soul." If one heard the poem read aloud, one would have to use context to guess that the correct meaning is "sole." However, the townspeople think they have Cory figured out. From the bottom to the top, from inside out, the community believes that Cory is a gentleman. They believe this is the extent of his soul, or his core.
The second stanza describes the way that the community interacts with Cory. Despite the quiet way in which Cory dresses and speaks, the townspeople see him as more than human. Cory does not inspire ease—just saying good morning as he passes people by causes their pulses to flutter (Lines 7-8). Despite being "quietly arrayed," Cory also apparently "[glitters] when he [walks]" (Line 8). The latter description is clearly a projection.
The anaphora of "And he was always" in the lines "And he was always quietly arrayed, / And he was always human when he talked" demonstrates the routine that occurs (Lines 5-6). Cory goes down town, and the community observes him. This repetition, aided by the use of iambic pentameter, helps create a sense of time marching onward in the poem. The repeated phrase "And he was always" also somewhat understates the second description "And he was always human when he talked" (Line 6). This may seem like a strange statement, but for the speaker to feel the need to state the fact that Cory is a human being means that it is surprising to the townspeople. In reducing Cory to a god-like figure, he has been stripped of his humanity.
While Cory speaks with marked "humanity," the community cannot help interpreting his wealth, status, and charm as evidence that he is beyond their reach. Cory's image is elevated even beyond the earlier implications of royalty; here, he is "richer than a king" (Line 9). This is a man who seems to fully inhabit the entire mythos of the American Dream: gentlemanly, clean favored, imperially slim, exceedingly wealthy, and "admirably schooled in every grace" (Line 10). Rather than hatred or bitterness, Cory's presence seems to inspire only admiration and envy in the community. This, along with the evidence of his quiet greetings as he passes people by, suggests that Cory is a morally decent man as well. The speaker sums it up by stating "we thought that he was everything / To make us wish that we were in his place" (Lines 11-12).
Life continues as the community struggles financially: "...on we worked, and waited for the light, / And went without the meat, and cursed the bread" (Lines 13-14). These hardships and sacrifices reference the Panic of 1893, an economic depression in the United States that affected almost every sector. The consonance of the "w" sound suggest the rote, mundane, repetitive lifestyles of those who observe Cory with envy and aspiration. The notion of waiting for the light may be taken literally as well as symbolically, with "the light" representing the aspiration to become like Richard Cory. Again, it is interesting to note that the community does not seem to resent Cory for living the life they so desire. Instead, they "[curse] the bread" they have to eat (Line 14).
The final lines deliver the punch of the poem: "And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, / Went home and put a bullet through his head" (Lines 15-16). The anaphora of "And" repeats in every stanza after the first. The use of it in the last two lines carries a sense of understatement all the way through until the revelation of Cory's suicide. This serves to strengthen the sense of situational irony. The final line of the poem unveils the discrepancy between perception and reality, showcasing how Cory's public image did not correlate to his private experience. All of Cory's surroundings are at odds with his internal state; that he commits suicide on a "calm summer night" supports this (Line 15). The townspeople believe that Cory's life was the epitome of a good life. Even the way that the speaker describes Cory's suicide reduces the violence of the act: Cory is said to have "put" a bullet through his head (Line 16). From his life to after his death, the community sees nothing more than the image of the American Dream. The poem ends here.
We can only speculate as to why there is no awareness on the part of the townspeople about Cory's troubles. Perhaps they cannot let go of their sense of "[waiting] for the light" (Line 13). This could also be the reason that they do not hate Cory. He represents the notion that the good life (as defined by the American Dream) is possible. To attempt to understand Cory could be the killing of this dream. Whatever the reason, Robinson's choice to end the poem where he does creates a strong lasting impression. It is no wonder that this is one of his best-known poems to this day.
