Who are "the people on the pavement"? We certainly know what kind of
person Richard Cory was. Richard Cory was a true gentleman from head to toe, the
epitome of an aristocrat. "The people on the pavement" were a stark
contradiction to Richard Cory. They were not schooled, far from rich, and
drudged tediously in search of an unfulfilled hope that life would get better.
There is a fine line between being schooled and being educated. One can be
educated, yet not be schooled. For the most part, being schooled usually
requires a certain amount of wealth. "The people on the pavement" were
far from wealthy, therefore not many, if any, were schooled. "The people on
the pavement" wished they could be this work of art known as Richard Cory.
The commoners were infatuated with Richard Cory. They admired everything about
this modern aristocrat. Richard Cory was like a king who condescended from his
dais to walk among the commoners. What these so called "people on the
pavement" failed to realize was that Richard Cory was a great actor too.
Richard Cory’s life was all superficial. It was a disguise to hide the real
Richard Cory, thus leading us to believe that "the people on the
pavement" are ignorant. It is ignorance that ignites the flame of desire
within that sometimes makes all of us wish that we could be a Richard Cory. What
everyone, not just "the people on the pavement", fail to realize is
that Richard Cory is a morose and deprived person within. These so called
"people on the pavement" toiled rigorously from dusk till dawn. You
ask why they labored so tediously? They may work so hard in order to survive. If
they didn’t, they would surely die due to the lack of the bare necessities.
That sounds logical, they work in order to survive, but there is probably a
deeper answer as well. Line one, in the fourth stanza recites, "So on we
worked, and waited for the light." The commoners drudged their entire
lives, just so they could one day live like Richard Cory. They were in search of
an empty promise. "The people on the pavement" dwindled their lives
away looking for this false hope. They cursed their own lives, and craved
Richard Cory’s. "The people on the pavement" were too ignorant to
appreciate and value what little they had, and that is probably why they are
just "the people on the pavement". In conclusion, we have deduced a
lot about "the people on the pavement". "The people on the
pavement" are not schooled, certainly not wealthy, eminently ignorant, and
are lost in their fascination with Richard Cory.