What Does The Poem Richard Cory Mean

Claudia Garces
In the poem “Richard Cory”, Edwin Arlington Robinson argues that ones outer shell can be deceiving, never envy your neighbors fortune. Richard Cory glides through town glowing looking “richer than a king”(9) pretending to have all the happiness anyone ever imagined. This alone causes the envy of the entire town. They probably will never know if he is truly happy or if all this is just another front. “We people”(2) who are never satisfied with our own goals and achievements are the ones that sit “on the pavement”(2) wasting our time . People should always be thankful for what they have and what they have accomplished. They should never whish to be in other peoples’ palace because what they have now may be what God knows to be the best for them. Everyone always makes the mistake of wishing they could be that other person just because of the first impression that another person presents
before them, it could be just looks or the money they appear to have. A person can only see what the other person allows them see or only what the person wishes to make the other person believe. It happens all over the world in everyone’s daily life. It could be as small as hiding a bad morning or as big as hiding a whole life of misery. A neighbor of many years comes out every morning holding a coffee in his hand and a smile his face and picks up the news paper, and if the neighbor is out, he will greet “Good Morning! Have a wonderful day.” This neighbor is always so joyful so happy, has a big beautiful house and a beautiful big front and back yard. A class mate has it all, school fully paid for, a brand new car and a debit card he uses as a little magic wand. What else can he wish for when he has it all. Your boss has always comes to work looking impeccable, always talking about how great the family is, how there is nothing that would make his life better. All thes
Robinson uses Richard Cory to represent the many people who present themselves as rich, highly educated and with no doubt the happiest people on earth.
Of course these people are envied by those who describe themselves as poor. A lot of these people may have the world in their hand but will never fulfill their hearts. Having everything you want does not mean you have everything you need. People always over look what should be the most important thing in their lives. As I stated in the paragraph above all these people appear to have the perfect life but really no one knows what they are hiding inside. It’s very easy to say or think, “I wish I had their fortune,” or “I wish I was just like them.” In the poem Robinson says, “And went without the meat, and cursed the bread,”(14pg189) Went on working hard for what they wanted and maybe still without the chance of getting what they wanted and at the same time complaining about what they already had. Without realizing that maybe if they learned to work with what they already have maybe they could have a lot
more.
Always be thankful for what you have. If you are not driving a car model of the year, you don’t own a mansion or your bank account is not quite on the millions, just be happy because maybe these materialistic things would not bring happiness to your life. Always thank God for what you have and also for what you don’t have. Look around you and be glad you have people that love you and care for you because at eh end this is all you will treasure in your heart. It is more important to have a small home full of the people you love than to have a mansion with a great big back yard and lots of rooms and not have a single soul to share this with. Having all the materialistic things handed to you may help you but it will never compare to a single I Love You. After long hrs of work to have your family updated with technology, cell phones, computes, lap tops, i-pods and video games all you can ask for in return would be a thanks but yet you come to home to a house were everyone is to busy recording talk shows, downloading music or on their phones talking with someone about “important things”, the table is empty and you have to eat alone. The family that you’ve worked so hard to keep happy has forgotten about you and do not appreciate what they have. Yet the people at work admire you and everything you have accomplished what they don’t know is that you are a nothing but a walking ghost for your family at home.
So the irony of this poem is people live their whole lives hoping maybe they could be just be like that co-worked, the neighbor or the classmate without stopping to think what the true happiness of life really is.