Richard Cory
...d “schooled in every grace.” Symbolic of his wealth, Cory “glitters when he walks.” After examining his physical description and what ultimately becomes of Cory, his life seems to closely resemble that of Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. Johnson 2 Everyone in town envies him for his grandiose house, car, and clothing, but at the end of the day Gatsby’s material possessions can not bring him the love and affection that a human being needs to emotionally survive. His soul, like Cory’s, dies long before he physically dies, and Cory’s suicide and emotional and physical detachment from his surroundings provide proof that material possessions can never buy happiness. Countless celebrities, royalty to current day society, have also met the same fate, like Marilyn Monroe. Everyone feels as if he or she could only be so lucky to walk in the shoes of one of the beautiful, wealthy people for just one day. Discovering the suicide of Cory, the people in town are shocked and could never imagine why a man who had so much could feel so miserable. Incorporating situational irony, Robinson effectively mocks society’s envy of men and women, who appear to have it all. Placement of lines and characters plays an imperative role in the poem. The “people on the pavement” admire Cory from a distance, while he struts downtown, showing that Cory is separate and very different than the average local, who infers that these unique qualities make him superior. “Not just rich, but richer than a king”, Cory is even compared to royalty, far above everyone else. At one point the narrator notices that Cory was “human when he talked”, but this one line is engulfed by many others that depict his wealth and attractiveness. It does, however, foreshadow the ultimate downfall of the protagonist, Richard Cory. Robinson’s use of placement also contributes to the situational irony the reader discovers when he learns of Cory’s suicide. Johnson 3 The one spoken line in the poem incorporates the use of verbal irony. While strolling through downtown, Cory says good morning to “the people on the pavement.” These words are usually cheery ones that allude to a joyful individual, content with his life and excited to face a new day. Although he speaks these jovial words to the locals, Cory alone knows the misery he feels inside. ...