Question

What is ironic about the ending of the poem "Richard Cory" by Edwin Arlington Robinson?

Answer 1

original poem:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44982/richard-cory

answer choices:
although cory is rich and of an elite class, he kills himself because he is unhappy.
although cory is unhappy, he kills himself because the townspeople envy his life.
cory is rich and of an elite class, so he lives his life without any problems or concerns.
cory donates all of his money to the working class because he understands its struggles.

Answer 2

as a major hint, look at how he acts/behaves/is characterized near the beginning of the poem, vs. what he does at the end

- He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;

And he was rich—yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace:

vs. the end:

And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.

why do you think he does what he does at the end?