Values (Philosophy) In ‘‘Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket,’’ Finney explores modern values. The main character, Tom, is a young, hard-working, conscientious advertising executive. He wants to distinguish himself in his field and rise to the top of all the young men who are working in his company. Tom thinks about the project he is…
Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket – Characters
Clare Benecke Clare is Tom Benecke’s wife. She appears only briefly in the story as she is preparing to go out to watch a movie for the evening. Clare is pretty and thin with light brown hair. Finney makes her almost a blonde, but stops just short, suggesting perhaps that although she is as beautiful…
Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket – Summary
‘‘Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket’’ is the story of Tom Benecke, a young advertising executive in New York City who risks his life to retrieve a scrap of paper that has flown out the window. This action results in a change in Tom’s attitude toward work and his values in life. As the story…
The Censors by Luisa Valenzuela – Analysis – Essay
In an interview with Magnarelli in Reflections/Refractions: Reading Luisa Valenzuela, Luisa Valenzuela discusses her views on censorship, describing the different ways censorship can affect individuals. In particular, Valenzuela points out that one type of censorship occurs when an individual ‘‘will often refuse to read what he fears might hurt him, what might raise his consciousness…
The Censors by Luisa Valenzuela – Setting
Government Oppression in Argentina in the 1970s and 1980s Valenzuela’s ‘‘The Censors’’ was written in the aftermath of a period of great turmoil in Argentina’s history. Juan Pero´n was a popular president in Argentina when he was first elected and during the early years of this administration (1946–1952). A supporter of unions and the working…
The Censors by Luisa Valenzuela – Literary Devices
Irony Valenzuela uses irony throughout ‘‘The Censors.’’ Irony is a literary technique in which an author conveys to the reader that there is a discrepancy between what appears to be true in the story and what is actually true. Often the characters in the story are not aware of this discrepancy. In ‘‘The Censors,’’ Juan…
The Censors by Luisa Valenzuela – Themes
Paranoia Without knowing the context within which ‘‘The Censors’’ was written, it would be easy to view Juan’s actions and perceptions in the story as paranoid. However, many of his fears, when considered within the framework of the repressive Argentine government that Valenzuela lived through in the 1970s and into the 1980s, may have been…
The Censors by Luisa Valenzuela – Characters
Juan Juan is the main character in Valenzuela’s ‘‘The Censors.’’ He enthusiastically writes a letter to Mariana, a woman with whom, it appears, he has been romantically involved. Juan is convinced that Mariana is still interested in him, and having received her address (the reader is not informed of the source of this information), he…
The Censors by Luisa Valenzuela – Summary
As Valenzuela’s ‘‘The Censors’’ opens, the narrator relates that Juan, the main character, has recently received the address of a woman, Mariana, with whom Juan appears to have had a relationship. Mariana now lives in Paris, France, and Juan is certain, having been given Mariana’s address from ‘‘a confidential source,’’ that Mariana still cares for…
B. Wordsworth by V. S. Naipaul – Analysis
Is B. Wordsworth, the character who appears in Naipaul’s short story of that name, a real poet or is he a fake, a dreamer? His name, which is presumably not the name he inherited but one he adopted for himself to fit his self-image, clearly shows how he wants others to think of him. The…