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Similarities Between Acquainted With The Night And Richard Cory

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In the poems, “Acquainted with the Night” by Robert Frost and “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson, the narrators are facing their own demons. While the narrator of, “Acquainted with the Night”, is acquainted with the night, he is distant to his surroundings. His sense of desolation and loneliness echoes as he walks the empty city streets. Likewise, in “Richard Cory”, Richard's luxurious lifestyle solitudes him from the townspeople and rejects him from pursuing genuine relationships. Rather than being lavishly rich, he instead wishes to be rich in another's company. Furthermore, Frost and Robinson mirror the theme of isolation in their poems. In “Acquainted with the Night”, Frost metaphorically starts and ends his poem with, “I have …show more content…

Thus, Robinson introduces the theme of isolation.“He was a gentleman from sole to crown, clean favored, and imperially slim” (3-4). “And he was rich - yes, richer than a king - and admirably schooled in every grace” (9-10). The people of the pavement were biased; they perceived Cory as a king because he was wealthy, refined, and courteous. They idolized him with envy. However, Cory was discontent of his social status. He ventured into town and politely greeted his bystanders, but the townspeople admired him for his wealth and social standing, not for companionship or friendship. This isolation is revealed in the last line of the poem when Cory “Went home and put a bullet through his head” (16). He appeared to be happy, but appearance can be deceiving. It is concluded that Richard Cory was a lonely man; he was financially rich, but socially deprived, thus directing him to commit suicide. The townspeople's judgment of Cory was primarily based on his exterior personality and the wealth he acquired. However, it is suggested that material possessions did not satisfy his psychological needs. Perhaps Richard Cory killed himself because he lacked happiness; material wealth did not make him happy. To end with, the narrators presented in the poems, “Acquainted with the Night” by Robert Frost and “Richard

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