Richard Cory: Robinson's Admire

Edwin Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory” (1897) tells about a gentleman who is admired by many people in his home town. He is admired because he is rich, smart, gentle and so perfect.  He was a handsome man, with glasses on his face, with mustaches which are a symbol of a gentleman, and with his perfect suites which are the symbol of a rich man. He was so perfect. 

However, he does not have a family.  It makes him feels sad and feels empty in his heart.  Even though many people admire his performance which is so perfect, inside his soul is very empty.  That makes him always stay outside to compensate for his emptiness by working hard.  He was too busy pursuing his materials and worldly things till he forgets about the most important thing than can make people happy in this world, which is love.  It is so tragic that he forgets to find his love.  Finally, at the end of his monotone life, he realizes that his brain is burned, his heart is humble. 

At the peak of his humbleness, he needs someone to share and to understand his feeling, someone to hold and hug, and someone to love.  He cannot buy love, so it is hard to find someone to share with.  Because he is so perfect, it is hard for him to find a very perfect, pretty woman.  He tries to find her, but he could not.  Eventually, he kills himself.   It is so tragic.  He has everything but nothing. 

His suicide shows that he does not believe in God.  He just believes in himself.  He wrongly believes no one cares about him.  But he never shows that feeling to somebody else.  What he shows so far is that he is a gentleman who is strong enough to stand by himself without anybody, including a woman who could love him so much and take care of him tenderly.