Judging a Book by It's Cover

First impressions are not always the best impression and people often judge a book by its cover. A good example of how people judge books by their covers is when it comes to celebrities. They are rich, they are good looking, and they seem to have everything that they can ever want. Sometimes people forget that looks can be deceiving and that money cannot buy happiness. When analyzing the narrative poem “Richard Cory” by Edward Arlington Robinson, one will notice that Robinson uses a few alliterations, an anaphora, and a metaphor to convey the theme of how appearances can be deceiving and how money cannot buy happiness. In the first quatrain the narrator is simply introducing the main character, Richard Cory. He starts by saying, “Whenever Richard Cory went down town / We people on the pavement looked at him” (Lines 1 and 2). The narrator uses this alliteration to imply that every time Richard Cory walks the streets in his town everyone, that happens to be out, just watches him. They even treat him like royalty (Scheick). The narrator then goes on to say, “He was a gentleman from sole to crown, / Clean favored, and imperially slim” (Lines 3 and 4). This is an implication that Richard Cory is nice and well-groomed. He is a well-respected man, however, Lucas thinks otherwise. He states, “Taken in context, the phrase 'imperially slim,' for example, has an almost sensuous, supple, and therefore slightly mocking grace about it. Richard Cory is wry, grim, laconic: it is a typical Robinsonian perception of the bleak comedy of the human condition, and this perception features in much of his best--and worst--work.” Lucas seems to think the opposite of what Robinson wants Richard Cory to be seen as. In the second quatrain the narrator is still introducing Richard Cory, however, instead of using an alliteration he uses an anaphora. An anaphora is a repetition of a word and it can be a phrase such as lines five and six. He says “And he was always quietly arrayed, / And he was always human when he talked” (Lines 5 and 6). Here the narrator uses an anaphora to suggest that he is a quiet man and keeps to himself, however, he is polite if he speaks to you. According to Scheick, he does not act superior and the townspeople distance themselves from him. They may h distance themselves because they did feel inferior to him. The narrator then goes on to say, “But still he fluttered pulses when he said, / ‘Good-morning’, and he glittered when he walked” (Lines 7 and 8). It is almost as if the narrator is suggesting that there is some sort of spotlight that shines on Mr. Cory that causes him to “glitter when he walks” (Robinson). The townspeople will never understand why he comes to town when he does or why he even bothers to talk to them (Scheick). The third quatrain is still a description of Richard Cory. The narrator goes on to say, “And he was rich¬¬¬- yes, richer than a king- / And admirably schooled in every grace” (Lines 9 and 10). Richard Cory is rich and he is “schooled” or smart. Since the narrator says “schooled in every way” the assumption is that he is very good at everything he does and he is admired by everyone. Next the narrator uses another alliteration and says, “In fine, we thought that he was everything / To make us wish that we were in his place” (Lines 11 and 12). In Scheick’s article he explains these two lines a little more. Scheick states, “If townspeople wished they were in his place because of wealth, he in turn wished he were one of them because they were rich in one another’s company”. The town thinks he is so special and they all envy him. Everyone wants to be him. Scheick then states, “The townspeople failed to appreciate their value of their mutual support of one another”. The last quatrain has a big twist. The narrator uses a metaphor and says, “So on we worked, and waited for the light, / And went without the meat, and cursed the bread” (Lines 13 and 14). Line 13 is an alliteration as well as a metaphor. This metaphor is a comparison of better times to light. Since this poem takes place in a time period where times are tough, all the townspeople can do is work to provide and wait for their lives to get better. The narrator is suggesting that the people just carry on with their lives. He then goes on to say, “And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, / Went home and put a bullet through his head” (Lines 15 and 16). Richard Cory kills himself. It is just a normal summer night for everyone, except Richard Cory. Everyone thinks that he is so happy and has everything he can ever imagine. He must have been missing something to be so unhappy. “There was a price in a human rather than a monetary sense, that he paid for being perceived to be ‘richer than a king’” (Scheick). Richard Cory wanted more than just money. In the first three quatrains the narrator is giving off the impression that Richard Cory has everything he can ever want. This is where the themes of how looks can be deceiving and how money cannot buy happiness comes into effect. The townspeople believe that Richard Cory is happy because he is rich. That is part of the theme of how money cannot buy happiness. It is also a part of the theme of how looks can be deceiving. The townspeople look up to him and envy him because they are going through a tough time and he has all the money he can need or want. They want what he has, and he wants what they have. The townspeople want money and Richard Cory wants friendship and possibly companionship. That is why the theme of how looks can be deceiving ties into this poem. Richard Cory puts up a front when he is in town. He plays it off to make it seem like he is content with his life even when he isn’t. His money could not buy him happiness, and his looks in town were definitely deceiving. This poem is a great example of why people shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Works Cited Lucas, John. "The Poetry of Edwin Arlington Robinson." Moderns & Contemporaries: Novelists, Poets, Critics. The Harvester Press, 1985. 27-45. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Jennifer Baise and Linda Pavlovski. Vol. 101. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. Robinson, Edward A. "Richard Cory." The Norton Introduction to Literature. By Kelly J. Mays. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2013. 675. Print. Scheick, William J. "Richard Cory." Magill’S Survey Of American Literature, Revised Edition (2006): 1. Literary Reference Center Plus.Web. 12 Mar. 2014.