"Night Mother" and "Richard Cory" are two pieces that both deal with suicide. The characters in both are so different, yet at the same time, very much alike. Both contain a lot of surprises and even somewhat confusing parts. The reader is left asking themselves why the characters in both of these writings had to end it all. Did they really have it that bad?

"Night Mother" deals with a woman named Jessie who suffers from epilepsy and lives with her mother, who is named Thelma. From the beginning one can see that Thelma talks non stop and that Jessie is not very happy with her current situation. Jessie begins to inquire about the whereabouts of her father's gun. At first she claims that it is for protection, but then soon admits that she wants to kill herself.

"Im going to kill myself, mama. How would you know...