Richard Cory and Miniver Cheevy

Edwin Arlington Robinson was very deep with his writings and was an excellent poet and Realist. He focused on the reality of human psychology in his poem “Richard Cory,” but with his poem “Miniver Cheevy,” he introduces a Realist protagonist as well as universal emotions from human psychology and nature. What sets him apart from other Realist writers, however, is the fact that he makes his protagonists, and thus his audience, the misunderstood people of the world who are misguided and do not know what it is that they want. While this audience is slightly more specialized than the audiences of such Realist writers as Kate Chopin, who wrote for women, and Paul Laurence Dunbar, who wrote for African Americans, it still works because even those people who have found direction in their life have, at some point in time, probably felt as lost and confused as the protagonists of Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poems.

“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.

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” (Robinson “Richard” 575).

Those are the last two stanzas of Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem, “Richard Cory.” In the previous two stanzas not shown, Robinson describes how Richard Cory was a “gentleman from sole to crown” and how he “was always human when he talked” and “fluttered pulses” when he spoke to people (Robinson “Richard” 575). Richard Cory is a well respected man, then, we can assume, and all the “common” folk wish to be just like him, so they save their money and work hard as shown in the line, “And went without the meat, and cursed the bread” (Robinson “Richard” 575). But when he goes an shoots himself in the head in the last line, one has to wonder what was wrong that he did not want to live anymore (Robinson “Richard” 575).

Obviously, being well respected, rich, and handsome was not what Richard needed, and because of this Robinson is able to speak to that selective audience who does not know what they want as well, making his poem very Realistic. It is also simple realistic because there are many people who seem to have everything anyone could ever want, yet they end up killing themselves as if their life were lacking somehow.

“Miniver scorned the gold he sought,
But sore annoyed he was without it;
Miniver thought, and thought, and thought,
And thought about it” (Robinson “Miniver” 576).

The second poem, “Miniver Cheevy,” also features a confused protagonist. Miniver finds himself not only unsure on the issue of money, but he also dreams romantically like many people do (Robinson “Miniver“ 576). His confusion is what allows readers to connect with him, as they have often felt or already feel the same questions, sorrows, and joys as he does, making this poem about him, along with many of Robinson’s other poems, Realist.

Works Cited

Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Miniver Cheevy." GlencoeLiterature. Ed. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 576. Print.

Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Richard Cory." GlencoeLiterature. Ed. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 575. Print.