This mentality is flawed since through materialism one cannot, "read the spirit through."" In other words, a person is incapable of seeing depth within the physical. The speaker wants them to change their thinking because he cares for them, which is seen by him appealing to his friends with the word "dear."" A person, innately, cannot live for an entity that is unable to satisfy him to the point where he needs nothing else. If a person attempted to, he would never actually achieve happiness. Physical entities can only satisfy a person for a limited time. They can only provide a person with short-term delight, for a person can understand them easily and is immediately forced to deal with the question "what comes next?" .
After it is seen that materialism is insufficient to sustain one through the "game- of life, one must seek a higher means of seeing the light. The poem that exemplifies a person who awakens to understand this and has to face its implications and consequences of it is "Richard Cory,"" Robinson's most well known poem. Robinson does not let the reader inside Cory's head. The reader can only view Cory from a limited perspective where the reader is not told Cory's intentions or the reasoning for his deeds. Robinson shows merely how Cory appears to the outside world. This is actually the sole driving force of Cory: he wants to be society's picture of the perfect man. He thinks through this, he will gain meaning. This is seen when the speaker is told in the third stanza that "we [society] thought that he was everything- and that "we- who worked hard and "went without meat- wished to be in his place. Richard Cory met all society's expectations for him because that is what he lived for. Robinson articulates that this will not lead to happiness and contentment by having Cory on "one calm summer night- go home and "put a bullet through his head."" .
Richard Cory is unable to find meaning because he is unable to live for himself.
