In The Richest Poor Man in the Valley, Macrae presents ideas about living a happy and contented life through ‘Harry’ and she depicts his concept of a simple existence to convey her views about living a “rich” life: it is one free from monetary possessions, working in companionship with nature and one that is built on valuable friendships.

Macrae presents happiness through the character of Harry and her use of a first name almost appears as an afterthought, which brings a sense of familiarity to the reader. Further, Macrae’s use of the third person could be used to emphasise the detachment of Harry from his materialistic world, instead finding solace in being isolated from it, with him seemingly appearing to be “on the outside”. Further, he is presented as appearing “older than he was” and having a face “which was like a weather map full of bad weather” which initially gives the impression that he is wearisome and has perhaps been somewhat battered by life. However, Macrae quickly indicates that his outward appearance belies his inner contentment through her use of the metaphor “while inside his heart was fat with sun”. Her metaphor suggests Harry’s life is one which is filled to the brim with joy and pleasure and it suggests an abundance of positivity and energy on the inside which stands in contrast to the superficial nature of material possessions on the exterior. Macrae continues her use of this contrast between the interior and exterior appearance of wealth to convey her ideas that inner happiness and joy are fundamental aspects of the human condition and Macrae uses this to underscore the importance of being content within your own self.

The uncomplicatedness of Harry’s life is mirrored in the simple free verse structure of the poem and Macrae’s use of enjambment further helps to illustrate Harry’s life as one which is unconstrained and unbound. Further, the use of irregular line length could signify the unpredictable nature of his existence and further emphasises how he is free from the strict codes and structures of what are judged as important indicators of one’s life such as “money, houses, bank accounts”. Macrae uses the word “lies” after this phrase which further illustrates the deceit and falseness of these things which lie on the surface of one’s existence and are deemed to be important. Indeed, Macrae’s choice of title for the poem with its juxtaposition of “richest” and “poorest” conveys how wealthy Harry is in terms of self-contentment, despite his outward appearance to others of being “poor”. Macrae further contrasts this in the next and final stanza of the poem when she uses the words “diamonds” to illustrate how rare and priceless Harry was and Macrae’s use of simile to describe the tears shed by his friends at his funeral, “like a thousand diamonds”, heightens the emotional impact of the poem and highlights their devastation at the loss of his companionship.

To conclude, in The Richest Poor Man in the Valley, Macrae presents ideas about living a happy and contented life to illustrate an existence which is free from the fixation on shallow material possessions to one which cherishes what Macrae considers to be the most important things in life, such as treasured friendships, the joy of nature and ultimately being content within your own self.