In the poem
"," the speaker indicates his/her position as representative of the citizens of the
town with the repeated use of the pronoun "we." This pronoun aligns the speaker with
the others who are poor, both in their economic plight and in their sentiments.
Initially using the expression "we people on the pavement," the speaker
represents the citizens who suffer during the hard times of the depression of 1893, in which
people could not afford to purchase meat and subsisted mainly on bread that was often a day old.
Thus, the disparity between the citizens of the town and Richard Cory, who is "richer than
a king" is marked. Further in the verses, the contrast between Cory who "glittered
when he walked" and the people becomes even more defined. And, each time this contrast is
mentioned, the speaker is aligned with the townspeople as always "we/us" heads the
description of feelings: "we thought...," "to make us wish...,""we
worked and waited for the light," and so forth.
Along with the other
citizens, too, the speaker never inquires as to why Richard Cory has come to town, and why he is
"always human" when he speaks to them. Instead, this speaker and the others feel that
the only misery is in their condition, failing to understand that a rich gentleman can also
suffer misery, albeit a different kind.
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