CONTENTS OF THE DEAD MAN’S POCKET

Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocketis a short story by Jack Finney, originally published by both Good Housekeeping and Collier’s in1956. The story is a suspenseful tale of a man who travels onto a hazardous window ledge (ridge) to retrieve the papers he believes will make his career. Finney was a prolific (creative) writer, recognized for his science fiction novels The Body Snatchers and Time and Again, as well as thrillers, such as 5 Against the House.

The story begins with protagonist Tom Beneckeat a desk in the living room of his eleventh-floor apartment in New York City. He is preparing to type up a handwritten memo to be distributed to his office. He finds small ways to distract himself from starting. First, he tries to open a window, but it isn’t easily opened. He has to use quite a bit of force on the frame.

Once the window is open, he continues to ignore the typewriter, crossing the room to talk to his wife, Clare. She is about to go out to the movies, and although Tom wanted to see the movie in question, he has insisted on staying home to work. Clare smiles at him, telling him he works too hard. He smiles back and tells her it will all be worth it when his work pays off and he receives a raise or promotion at work.

He hopes the project he is working on will impress his superiors and net him a promotion and a raise. He knows he could postpone the project, but it’s a Thursday night, and if he brings it in the next morning, his boss will be able to read it over the weekend.

As Tom closes the door behind his wife, a current of warm air enters the apartment from the hallway. He hears the flutter of paper as he closes the door and turns to see his handwritten notes flying through the open window.

In horror, he moves to the window. The air has stilled, and his paper is lying on a decorative ledge a yard below his window. A little breeze picks up the paper again and pushes it slowly along the ledge. Tom tries to reach for it, but it is too far away. He waits for it to fall to the ground eleven stories below, but sees it has caught on something and is stuck where it is. He won’t be able to retrieve it from the ground.

Tom considers abandoning his notes and starting over. But that feels impossible: his notes are the result of two months of research and observation; he needs the proposal now because it concerns seasonal ideas for the spring. If he waits, it will be too late to present his ideas.

Tom decides to step out onto the ledge outside his apartment to retrieve the paper. He reasons that it will make a good story to tell at work. The ledge is flat, and wide enough to set his feet on. Before he knows it, before he has time to talk himself out of this scheme, he is outside on the ledge.

Carefully, clinging to the wall, Tom shuffles sideways towards the paper. It is darker outside than he thought, and cold. He tells himself never to look down. When he reaches the paper, he lowers his hands one foot at a time, moving from one row of bricks down to the next. He bends his head and twists his shoulder; finally, he can grasp a corner of the paper in his fingers. As he does so, he looks down on Lexington Avenueand is filled with “a violent instantaneous explosion of absolute terror.”

Tom straightens up in a panic; as he does so, he hits his head against the wall, nearly losing his balance. He catches himself and hugs the wall, trembling in fear, feeling as if he might faint. He collects himself a little, but finds himself unable to move. The walk back to his window feels impossible. Tom is sure that if he moves again, he will lose his footing and plummet to the ground below.

He tries to call for help, but knows no one can hear him above the wind and the noises of the street below. When he closes his eyes, he pictures himself falling again and again. Finally, and even slower than before, he begins to shuffle sideways towards home, one foot at a time.

At last, Tom reaches his window. He realizes it is closed. It has slammed itself shut, and he has no way to open it from the outside. In despair, Tom stares into the haven (asylum) of his living room.

First, Tom slams the window with his hand. Nothing happens. Then, carefully, he slides off his shoe and throws it at the glass. It doesn’t work. He imagines waiting until Clare is back from the movies. If she sees both features, she will be gone at least three hours. Tom looks at his watch. Clare left eight minutes ago. And Tom’s legs are very, very tired.

Looking around, Tom sees there are plenty of people home in the apartment across the street. He finds a sheaf of old papers in his coat pocket and a box of matches. He lights the papers on fire one by one, hoping to catch someone’s attention. No one seems to notice or care about his plight. Then, one by one, he drops the coins in his pockets to the street below. No one looks up.

He realizes that if he dies, his death will become a mystery: the window is closed, so no one will understand why or from where he fell. He realizes how little he has gotten out of his life, how much more time he might have spent with Clare, how many hours he has spent on the little sheet of paper that got him into his current predicament.

Then, knowing this is his last chance; he punches through the glass, shouting his wife’s name as he does so. He falls forward and climbs through the window. Then, he pulls out the crumpled (wrinkled) paper and lays it on the desk, setting a pencil on top to weigh it down. He grabs his topcoat and prepares to head out the door to meet Clare at the movies. As he opens the door, another current of warm air comes in from the hallway. He turns to see the pencil rolling off the desk and the paper again flying through the window. This time, Tom laughs and shuts the door behind him.

“Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” deals with familiar themes for Finney: the struggle against time and the need to make the most of our brief lives. The story is notable for its suspenseful narration and the changing characterization of Tom Benecke.

source: http://www.supersummary.com/