Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket

“Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket”

• Genre: Fiction; realistic short story
• Originally Published: 1956
• Reading Level/Interest: Adult
• Structure/Length: Approx. 22 pages
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Tom, an ambitious young corporate employee, stays home to work on a memo while his wife goes to the movies. When his notes fly out the window and land on the 11th-floor ledge of his apartment building, Tom climbs out to retrieve them and has time to contemplate what really matters in life.

Jack Finney, Author

• Bio: Born in 1911 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; died in 1995; worked in advertising in New York City before starting to write short stories; wrote mostly thrillers and science fiction; his novel The Body Snatchers was adapted as a movie four times—as Invasion of the Body Snatchers in 1956 and 1978, as Body Snatchers in 1993, and as The Invasion in 2007; received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement (1987)
• Other Works: “Such Interesting Neighbors” (short story; 1951); “Of Missing Persons” (short story; 1955); The Body Snatchers (novel; 1955); Time and Again (novel; 1970)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• The Consequences of Unbridled Ambition
• Controlling and Overcoming Fear
• The Will to Live

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the social and cultural contexts regarding the post-WWII economic boom that motivate the story’s main character.
• Plan and write a fictional epilogue to “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” that demonstrates an understanding of the characters and the theme The Consequences of Unbridled Ambition.
• Analyze and evaluate the plot, characters, setting, and literary devices to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding the themes of The Consequences of Unbridled Ambition, Controlling and Overcoming Fear, and The Will to Live.