Summary Of Contents Of A Dead Man's Pocket

Imagine being dumb enough to try and grab a piece of paper eleven stories high, trying to hold on for dear life. It would be very scary wouldn’t it? Knowing that any second you could fall to your death. In the story Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket, the author, Jack Finney, does an excellent job at using this scenario to develop theme. He shows how you don’t know what you have in life until you have almost lost it. In the beginning of the story the theme is shown by the author implying that Tom would rather stay home and work on his project than go with his wife to the movies. “He watched her walk down the hall, flicked a hand in response as she waved, and then he started to close the door, but it resisted for a moment”(16). The author has Tom hesitate to close the door like this to emphasize Tom not knowing what he has in life. “You work too much, though, Tom- and too hard.” He smiled. “ You won’t mind, though, will you, when the money comes rolling in and I’m known as the Boy Wizard of Wholesale Groceries (16)? Even though the author has Tom stay home and work on his project a part of him still wants to go to the movie with his wife.

“Then as the moving air stilled completely, the curtains swinging back from the wall to hang free again, he saw the yellow sheet drop to the window ledge and slide over out of sight” (17). At this moment the author has Tom have confidence that he will go and get his paper and be right back.“In the back of his mind he knew he’d better hurry and get this over with before he thought too much, and at the window he didn’t allow himself to hesitate” (17). At this time Tom is wishing he went with his wife and now is starting to realize what he really has in