Miniver Cheevy

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1910

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Poem Analysis

Themes

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Further Reading & Resources

Related Poems

"Richard Cory" by Edwin Arlington Robinson (1897)

Aside from “Miniver Cheevy,” “Richard Cory” is Robinson’s most famous and enduring poem. In many ways, Richard Cory is the antithesis of Miniver Cheevy. He’s a stylish rich man envied and idolized by the less fortunate people in town, but his outward appearance is deceiving. The poem ends with a shock to the townspeople: “Richard Cory, one calm summer night, / Went home and put a bullet through his head.” Miniver may not have enough money and Richard too much, but both characters suffer self-destructive fates all the same.

"George Gray" by Edgar Lee Masters (1916)

Like E.A. Robinson, Edgar Lee Masters was known for his narrative portrait poems. Spoon River Anthology was his crowning achievement, featuring first person narratives from dead people buried in an Illinois graveyard. “George Gray” tells the story of a man who has many regrets looking back at his life, which was spent similarly to Miniver’s. George Gray was too afraid to pursue love and too cowardly for ambition, but in death he realizes that life’s meaning comes from having enough bravery to risk the unknown. He proclaims that “life without meaning is torture”—a fact Miniver would agree with—and ends with a final stark image that describes Miniver in a nutshell: “A boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.”

"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot (1915)

The titular character of this T.S. Eliot poem is a familiar sort to readers of “Miniver Cheevy.” Prufrock, a romantic who is too cowardly to act upon his fantasies, insists repeatedly that “indeed there will be time,” which is an excuse for his passivity. His other refrain, “Do I dare disturb the universe?”, becomes such a sore subject that by the end of the poem, he finds himself ruminating over whether to eat a peach. Prufrock and Miniver share an impotence that negatively impacts their lives and prevents them from doing anything meaningful with their lives.

Further Literary Resources

The Letters of Edwin Arlington Robinson: A Digital Edition by Seth Edward Laffey (2017)

This collection contains transcriptions of Robinson’s correspondences from 1889-1895, as well as biographical notes and interpretations of his letters. Robinson wrote thousands of letters to hundreds of recipients in his lifetime. These letters reveal the more subtle and overlooked aspects of his infamously reticent character, such as his sharp wit and self-deprecating humor. Readers of “Miniver Cheevy” interested in the poem’s connections to his personal life may gain further insight through this valuable resource.

"The Double-Edged Irony of E.A. Robinson’s “Miniver Cheevy”" by Winifred H. Sullivan (1986)

In this essay, Sullivan explores “Miniver Cheevy” through the lenses of satire and irony, which are often overlooked in many interpretations of the poem. Sullivan puts the poem into the historical context of the turn of the century, citing materialism, militarism, and antimodernism as three influences that illuminate the poem’s meaning. Sullivan also touches on the poem being a self-portrait of Robinson, as well as being a vehicle for Robinson’s criticisms of society.

An Analysis of the Philosophy in the Poetry of Edwin Arlington Robinson by Jock Wilson (1955)

Instead of standard literary criticism, Wilson provides an in-depth look at Robinson’s poetry in the context of philosophy. While early critics narrowly characterized Robinson’s philosophy as dark and depressing, Wilson argues that he was a “pessimistic realist” who leaned towards idealism. The analysis also covers Robinson’s belief in antimaterialism, an important aspect of “Miniver Cheevy.”