17 pages • 34-minute read
Richard Cory
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Themes
Mental Health Is No Respecter of Persons
Throughout the poem, themes of depression, hopelessness, and suicide create a bleak and frustrated tone. The working class and the very poor feel this deep sense of longing whenever they see Richard Cory, reflecting their mental health. These people are not happy in their lives, whether because they were directly affected by the economic downturn or feel hopeless about improving their conditions. Either way, the poem makes a statement about the impact of a massive wealth disparity, long working hours, and economic depression on an individual’s mental health. The opening lines of the last stanza demonstrate this attitude: “So on we worked, and waited for light, / And went without the meat, and cursed the bread” (Lines 13-14). The poem paints a very depressing picture of the psychological well-being of the town. Their collective obsession with Richard Cory also demonstrates a group of people who are not stable. The townspeople, as narrators, spend their time dreaming and wishing to be this man they know nothing about, as if their despair has led them to rash thinking. They have become so unhappy in their own lives that they lose the ability to think critically and end up making misguided assumptions about Richard Cory based on how things appear. There is an emphasis on the town’s misguided thinking: “In fine, we thought that he was everything” (Line 11). This assumption-based thinking is not healthy behavior for the townspeople and reflects their own inability to cope with their lives. In this way, Richard Cory is not the only one struggling with severe mental health issues, but he, unfortunately, is the one who acts on them.
Richard Cory’s suicide comes as a massive shock to the reader because we’ve spent so much of the poem hearing his glowing reviews and the sad complaints of the townspeople about their own lives. So it is unexpected and surprising that Cory ends up killing himself, especially considering all the opportunities and wealth he has had. But that is the nature and the reality of mental health issues: Anyone can be subject to depression, anxiety, and other conditions. Up to a certain point, money cannot buy happiness, nor can good looks, an education, or good manners. But, however wealthy and educated, Richard Cory is still a human being like everyone else in the town. And for the townspeople, it is this realization that, deep down, Cory was no different than them that is the most shocking reveal of them all. It is an important reminder that even those who seem to have it all may be struggling too and that untreated mental illness can be a matter of life or death.
Wealth, Class, and Privilege
The poem draws very distinct lines in the sand concerning class. There is a hierarchical order to the occupants of the town that everyone is subject to follow. Even the idea that Richard Cory’s arrival in town is a notable occurrence signifies that he lives outside of town. Especially during this early 20th-century period, a person living further from town could imply that they had a sprawling estate with a lot of land. It is also important to note that cities tend to be dirty, crowded, and noisy, even today, and during an economic downturn, it is more prudent to look to the city for more available work. The idea that Richard Cory’s arrival in town is a momentous occasion signifies a lot about the class hierarchy and the disparity of wealth between Cory and the “people on the pavement” (Line 2).
It is also interesting that the townspeople are not just envious of his wealth, class, and good looks—i.e., “Clean favored, and imperially slim” (Line 4)—but they are also envious of his education and manners. Cory’s qualities relate directly to his privilege as a rich, white, American man. Cory had the opportunity to be “admirably schooled in every grace” (Line 10), which is something not many in the town have been given access to. Because they haven’t had the same privileges, this reinforces their assertion in the very first stanza that Cory “was a gentleman from sole to crown” (Line 3). As per the town’s assumptions, only a gentleman, admirably schooled in every grace, could be capable of these marvelous traits:
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
‘Good-morning,’ and he glittered when he walked (Lines 6-8).
This envy from the town and their inaction (or inability to act) to try to make a change in their own lives to achieve something better, and instead simply choosing to continue working, waiting, wishing, and suffering, reflects the town’s internalization of the class hierarchy. The townspeople believe, as we can see demonstrated throughout the poem, that Cory is inherently better than them because he is upper class, because he is a gentleman. They feel this hierarchy is impossible to overcome, so they simply continue working, waiting, wishing, and suffering. Their assumptions about happiness demonstrate economic and class inequality within this town.
Looks and Appearances Can Be Deceiving
The town is particularly preoccupied with the way Richard Cory looks and appears. The poem makes this explicitly clear with the second line of the opening stanza: “We people on the pavement looked at him” (Line 2). In many ways, mainly because we know how the poem ends, Richard Cory is a performer, and a good one at that. Almost like a celebrity, or even as the poem mentions, royalty, Cory can dazzle a crowd of onlookers, drawing their attention to him like a magnet and putting on a performance of humanity, dignity, and gracefulness. Not only this, but Cory is physically attractive, “Clean favored, and imperially slim” (Line 4). He is a handsome, rich, and classy local celebrity with everything going for him, or at least this is Cory’s outward performance that he shows to the watching crowd.
Because the town cares about the way Cory looks, it is nearly impossible to make any kind of analysis or judgment about Cory as a character or person. Perhaps Cory used his wealth as a shield, leaning into his reputation as a gentleman to get what he wants and seek favors. However, the poem does point out that he was “always quietly arrayed” (Line 5), implying that he did not dress for show, doting large designer labels and gaudy or eccentric outfits, instead opting for more subdued fashion choices. Perhaps Cory was simply a very kind man who became bogged down by the weight of his wealth and the expectations that accompany that. The reader can never be sure who Richard Cory was because of the town’s preoccupation with Cory’s looks. This, among others, is one of the great tragedies of the poem. The town has placed all of Cory’s value in his looks, never seeing beneath his façade who he really was. Cory’s true identity is lost forever, and instead, all that is left is his appearance, and appearances can be deceiving.
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