Richard Cory American Dream
Everyone seeks to achieve the American Dream, but someone who is yet to accomplish that goal is happier than someone who has. The poem, “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington, is told from the eyes of the community and how they wish to one day become successful as the king, Richard Cory. As stated in the poem, “In fine, we thought that he was everything, to make us wish that we were in his place.” Little did they know that behind all the wealth and fame, there stood a man who was just as human as them, but felt confined of his own boundaries. Richard Cory felt isolated due to everyone having high expectations of him, giving him an enormous amount of pressure. Forcing him no other option but to take his own life. In contrast, in W. H. Auden’s