Comparing Simon And Garfunkel's Poem 'Richard Cory'

Richard Cory was an aristocrat and he was superior than the rest of the community which was from a working class. In both the poem and the song the narrator is of a working class. In the song it says “ But I work in his factory” this phrase could mean that he had to work in order to make a living because he wasn’t born into society. In the poem it mentions “So on we worked, and waited for the light” this line could mean that they were from working class as well and had to work until the end because they didn’t have a lot money either.
However, both authors seem to admire Richard Cory since he was considered a celebrity in the town. In the poem it says “We people on the pavement looked at him” and “ … he glittered when he walked” this phrase could indicate that they looked at him in admiration as he walked and this admiration could lead to envy.. In the song its stated “Oh, I wish that I could be Richard Cory” this phrase could indicate that if he wanted to be him then he envied all he had. Simon and Garfunkel repeats this phrase throughout the whole lyrical poem even after his death which indicates that the speaker felt dissatisfaction in his life because even though
must be happy with everything he’s got” as indicated in the poem. What this phrase is referring to is all the materialistic items in his life everything that was seen exteriorly and could be classified as happiness. In both the poem and the song the narrator or speaker seem surprised when they discovered that Richard Corey had committed suicide. In the song it states “ So my mind was filled with wonder when the evening headlines read… put a bullet through his head” this phrase demonstrates that the speaker was surprised he had committed suicide since he had many questions of why he did it he couldn’t understand his reasons. All this surprisement and wonder came because of the exterior appearance that indicated he had to be happy due to all he