The+Flip+Side+of+the+American+Dream

Andrew Hattersley May 3, 2010 English American Classics The Flip Side of the American Dream In the traditional sense, people around America have viewed the American Dream as a land where it is easy for citizens to achieve happiness and wealth. These two ideas are the cornerstone of the American Dream. In Edwin Arlington Robinson’s “Richard Cory” the main character, Richard Cory, has all the wealth in the world and is looked up to by all his peers. However just because Richard Cory is wealthy this does not guarantee him happiness. On the last two poems? the narrator shocks us when he comments, “And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet through his head” (L14-15). This is a seismic shift because just as it seems things are going well with Richard he commits suicide. There are many key aspects to these last two lines. For one throughout the poem we see a consistent rhyme scheme with an ABAB format and also the traditional 4 stanza poem. What makes this poem unique is the ending because a typical reader is going to expect a happy ending from an author who has all the money in the world along with people looking up to him so you expect Richard to be happy. The ending however, breaks the tradition of the poem and causes the reader to be shocked when the narrator breaks away from the traditional form. Another key aspect of this poem that also goes along with the money idea is that the story is told from a third person point of view. This gives us an insight into what others think about Richard. When describing Richard in the third stanza the narrator comments, “In fine—we thought that he was everything To make us wish that we were in his place” (L11-12). This is a key aspect to the suprising nature of Richard Cory’s suicide because it is the other positive aspect of Richard Cory along with wealth. Richard Cory has everything when it comes to the idea that everybody in the town looks up to him which is the dream of every citizen of the United States. It is part of the modern American Dream to be looked up to by all your peers. The other aspect to the American Dream is that Richard Cory owns all the money that he can possibly have. We get a really clear idea of how much he has when the narrator enviously comments, “And he was rich, yes, richer than a king”(L9-10).The idea that Richard Cory has all the money in the world and is looked up to by everyone completely contradicts the American Dream. This poem is a very strong critique of the American Dream when saying that even though you can have all the money in the world and everyone looking up to you this is not the be all and end all as people seem to think rather it is about what makes you happy that you should be doing. Material wealth is not the correct path to the American Dream.