Despite the simplicity of the poem, students scratch their heads puzzling, “but why, why did he commit suicide?”

In “Richard Cory,” the focus is not on “why” the suicide did what he did; it is on the mystery itself. Certainly, the people who admired Cory because of all he possessed personally and financially did not expect such an act. To them he seemed to have everything worth living for, while they struggled to put food on the table.

First Stanza

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.

The poem is rich in language use. The poet does not employ many poetic devices, no metaphor, no simile, no symbolism, but still the words have resonance, even though the poem is quite literal. For example, in the first line, “Whenever Richard Cory went down town,” sets up the dichotomy that holds throughout the poem. If Richard Cory went down town, he must have previously been up town, indicating a wealthy residential neighborhood; whereas “down town” suggests the business district where apartment dwellers and the working class reside.

The main thrust of this poem suggests the differences between the wealthy and the less-well-off. The speaker of the poem belongs to the latter class, and the poem clearly draws distinctions between “us” and “him” (Richard Cory). In the second line, “We people on the pavement” suggests a lower class: we looked up to him as well as merely staring at him as “looked at him” indicates.

The third and fourth lines offer the first description of Richard Cory: the term “gentleman” continues the division being drawn between the two socio-economic classes. A “gentleman” belongs to the gentry or higher socio-economic class than simply “a man.”

Then by claiming that Cory demonstrated this gentlemanly quality from “sole to crown,” the speaker is emphasizing how entirely kingly this Cory was. “Sole” simply refers to his shoes, but “crown,” meaning the top of his head, also produces a pun or a double meaning, including the kind of head-gear a king would wear. This pun is one of the few actual figurative uses of languages used in this poem.

Second Stanza

And he was always quietly arrayed,

And he was always human when he talked;

But still he fluttered pulses when he said,

"Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked.

The speaker of this poem is careful to make sure his listeners understand that Richard Cory was just a really nice guy. He did not look down on the common folk; he did not behave arrogantly; he spoke to people the way the speaker would expect him to, “he was always human when he talked.” Cory seemed very friendly, affable, happy, just like the common working-class stiffs only better looking and richer.

Even though Cory was “quietly arrayed,” not arrogant or haughty, and even though he chatted like a regular guy, still he made people a little nervous when he addressed them, and he looked like gold as he passed by.

We must remember that the speaker is a little obsessed with Richard Cory’s behavior and appearance, so while the speaker wants us to realize that Cory was a nice man who would chat with the common folk, still his manner and appearance had an effect on people.

Third Stanza

And he was rich—yes, richer than a king,

And admirably schooled in every grace:

In fine, we thought that he was everything

To make us wish that we were in his place.

In this stanza, the speaker tells us quite plainly that Richard Cory was rich, but the speaker also exaggerates Cory’s wealth by saying he was “richer than a king.” And at this point, we can be sure the speaker is, indeed, referring to money, not personality and a successful life, because in the next line, the speaker informs us that Cory was educated in every respect; Cory had knowledge as well as good behavior.

The next two lines reveal again that it is the common folk, “we,” of which the speaker is part who are making these observations and drawing these conclusions about Richard Cory. They conclude that Cory had everything a human being should have and everything they were striving for. They wished they were Richard Cory.

Fourth Stanza

So on we worked, and waited for the light,

And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;

And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,

Went home and put a bullet through his head.

The first two lines of the last stanza once more demonstrate the differences between the two socio-economic classes appearing the poem: the common working-class folk who admired the wealth and style of Richard Cory struggled on and on, striving for the day when they too could be like him. Not only did they work hard, but they also sacrificed because they could not buy everything they wanted, and they complained about the low quality of the things they could afford.

And then we come to the last two lines that shock and startle so: Richard Cory, the man who has everything, the man who was everything that these hard working folk wanted to be—this icon of success and happiness—kills himself.

We can certainly take from this poem the old adage that appearances are deceiving, but we get much more than that, if we look closely. The poet, Edwin Arlington Robinson, has composed nearly perfect poem in its truth about life, its sense of the nature of human personalities, its rhythm, its rime scheme, and it does all this while remaining quite literal without one metaphor or simile.