Theme Of Irony In Richard Cory

In Edwin Arlington Robinson’s “Richard Cory,” there are many aspects of irony in the poem. The poem is about a man, named Richard Cory, who seems to have the perfect life. He has good looks and a lot money, it sounds like he has it all. The people are not as wealthy as Richard Cory, and some are considered poor. Although Richard Cory has a higher status than everyone else, he still talks and mingles with them. The people in the area are jealous of Richard’s life. The story illustrates that one should be satisfied with what he or she has. The people wanted Richard’s life so badly, that they never notice how unhappy Richard truly is. Towards the end of the poem, the truth of Richard’s loneliness and unhappiness is revealed when he kills himself.

From the first stanza, it is told that Richard is an attractive man. The author says, “He was a gentleman from sole to crown, / Clean favored, and imperially slim” (3-4). Since the author says Richard is a gentleman, one can conclude that he is a very neat man from head to toe. He did not do anything rowdy or out of the norm. One can also conclude that clean favored and slim means he is well groomed and skinny. It is unexpected that Richard chooses to be thin because he can buy whatever he wants to eat. Spending money on food is easy for him, unlike the people around him. Another attractive thing about Richard is the way he dresses. The author says, “And he was always quietly arrayed” (5). The author is simply saying Richard is always well dressed. One can assume that Richard did not dress normally in t-shirts and jeans. Richard wore nice clothes like suits. He would always dress to impress. One can assume that his choice of clothing is a mask from showing how he truly feels, sadness. If Richard were to dress how he feels, then he would not dress nicely as stated in the poem. There are ironic tones in his attractiveness to show how he wants to feel but