Jack Finney’s third story to see print in 1956 was the outstanding suspense tale, ‘‘Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket,’’ which appeared in the October 26, 1956 issue of Collier’s. This was to be Jack Finney’s last story in Collier’s, where his first published work had appeared in 1947. The magazine, which had been founded…
Tag: Jack Finney
Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket – Exposition – Essay
Much of Finney’s body of work addresses the thematic concern of time. Indeed, The Third Level, the volume that includes ‘‘Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket,’’ has many stories about time and time travel. The opening story, ‘‘The Third Level,’’ for example, concerns a man who finds a third level at Grand Central Station, one…
Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket – Setting
The Cold War The explosions of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, brought World War II to an end, and the rapid growth of the Soviet Union’s military power and ambition cast a pall over the Western world, including the United States, in the post-war years. The Cold War is a term used…
Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket – Literary Devices
Plot ‘‘Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket’’ offers an excellent example of plotting in a short story. Ross Murfin and Supryia M. Ray in The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms define plot as the ‘‘arrangement and interrelation of events in a narrative work, chosen and designed to engage the reader’s attention . ….
Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket – Themes
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…