Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket

The dramatic structure in “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” is typical of most works of fiction. Events are related in chronological order from the beginning of the story through to its conclusion, and the plot conforms to Freytag’s Pyramid, an outline of dramatic plot structure conceived by German playwright Gustav Freytag. The pyramid starts with exposition, followed by an inciting incident and the rising action. The narrative reaches its dramatic peak at the climax, then progresses through the falling action before concluding with the resolution.

The exposition quickly establishes the story’s New York City setting; the two characters, Tom and Clare; and their circumstances as husband and wife. Tom’s precious yellow paper floating out of his apartment’s open window is the inciting incident that kickstarts the rising action as the plot develops. Suspense and dramatic tension build throughout the rising action until the story’s climax, the moment Tom breaks the window glass with his fist.

With the story’s conflicts resolved, the remainder of the narrative consists of the falling action and resolution. In the falling action, Tom climbs through the broken window into his apartment, places the yellow paper back on his desk, lays a pencil on it as a paper weight, and leaves to meet Clare. The plot’s resolution occurs in the story’s final paragraph:

He turned to pull the door closed and the warm air from the hall rushed through the narrow opening again. As he saw the yellow paper, the pencil flying, scooped off the desk and, unimpeded by the glassless window, sail out into the night and out of his life, Tom Benecke burst into laughter and then closed the door behind him (30).

The story’s ironic ending completes Tom’s development as a dynamic character, as he now realizes the price of all-consuming ambition and will no longer pay it. The irony also supports the idea that the values inherent in materialism threaten personal relationships and negatively impact the quality of life in American society.

Other external and internal conflicts drive the action too. In walking the ledge, Tom pits himself against nature, an external force. The night is cold and darker than he thought. He struggles against the physical limitations of his body; crouched outside the window, “his knees hurt, his feet felt numb, and his hands were stiff” (28). The deadliest external conflict he confronts is gravity, the force of nature that will pull him off the ledge and send him falling to his death on the street below.

Simultaneously, Tom confronts an internal conflict against the fear that threatens to consume him at any moment. As his imagination takes control of his mind and he visualizes his own death, he struggles to construct mental defenses against the terror of his situation. Concentrating on his hands and feet, he moves along the ledge “very nearly without thought” (26). However, he is aware of the “terrible strength of the pent-up horror on just the other side of the flimsy barrier he had erected in his mind” (26). To survive, Tom battles against nature, his own body, and his own mind.

An essential literary element in the story is the third-person omniscient point of view, limited to Tom. An omniscient narrative voice takes readers into Tom’s mind, revealing his thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations during his near-death experience. It describes how Tom perceives Lexington Avenue from 11 stories above the street:

[Lexington] stretched out for miles ahead […] the Loew’s theater sign, blocks ahead past Fiftieth Street; the miles of traffic signals all green now; the lights of cars and street lamps; countless neon signs; and the moving black dots of people (24).

Tom hears the muffled sounds of street traffic and the sound of a car horn, off and on, in the distance. The third-person omniscient point of view brings readers into his harrowing experience, enhancing it with visual and auditory imagery that allows them to see and hear in tandem with Tom.

“Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” is masterful narrative writing that keeps readers engaged until the unexpected ironic ending. The story also demonstrates an understanding of human nature, particularly of the individual’s ability to rationalize and justify their behavior, the penchant to sacrifice one’s life on the altar of ambition, and the will to live. Through Tom Benecke’s dynamic character, however, the story suggests that with insight, one can redeem a wasted life and choose to live a life with meaning and value.