Contents Of A Dead Man's Pocket Essay

In the short story entitled Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket, author Jack Finney uses suspense, situational irony, and symbolism to show how some things in life are worth more than others. Finney uses the main character of the story, Tom Benecke, an overachiever and workaholic, to demonstrate his theory. Throughout the story, it shows how a life can come to end, unpredictably, at any given time. Although Finney uses suspense in the story, like “Elbows slowly bending, he began to draw the full weight of his upper body forward, knowing that the instant his fingers slipped off the quarter-inch strips he’d plunge backward and be falling” (43), it could be seen as insignificant because readers believe that Tom would die anyway.

The Night His Life Flashed Before His Eyes Have you ever had your life flash before your eyes? That is how it feels when you read the story, “ Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” by Jack Finney. In this story the protagonist Tom is in a situation where he realizes his life is flashing before his eyes and how he hadn’t enjoyed it because of his job. Through the use of the Literary elements such as foreshadowing, manipulation of time, and setting we can note that the author uses suspense and tension in the story “Contents of the Dead Man”. To begin with, The literary element foreshadowing is used in this story on multiple occasions.

Literary devices used in “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket” The art of suspense and tension is one few writers master. Jack Finney is one of those few authors who have practiced the study and put it to use. His work on “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket” is a shining example of how to make your readers feel anxious or worried for a character’s well-being. Throughout the story, you are left wondering how Tom Beneke will conquer his fear of the ledge he put himself on.

It is important to note that, while the aforementioned elements of fiction have been altered, there are some that have been virtually eliminated from some fictitious works. In the short story “Hills Like White Elephants,” by Earnest Hemingway, setting is mostly limited to one paragraph at the beginning of the story. The setting is not crucial to the story so it is restricted to a brief description. Also in “Hills Like White Elephants,” there is no theme. Although generally viewed as important, Hemingway saw no reason to incorporate a theme into his short

In Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Masque of the Red Death”, the terror spreading throughout the guests of the party helps it seem as if the Red Death was slowly forcing itself into the masquerade. The masked figure within the story is described as “…unutterable horror” (Poe, 452). The vivid descriptions within the story produce anxiety and cause unease for the guests, adding to the underlying fear of the current red death pandemic. A quote that builds a lot of suspense is “…turned suddenly and confronted his pursuer” (Poe, 452). This chase forces the guests to freeze because a confrontation is about to happen.

Sometimes for some people all most falling to their death, or just pushing their limits maybe the way to show themselves what is most important in life. This is what happens to the main character in "Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket" by Jack Finney. In the story, Tom goes through ten minutes of pain, guilt, life changes and dangerous obstacles that he over faced about life. In this story Tom Benecke has two choices go with his wife Clare to the movies or stay home and pretend to do some work for his job.

The authors’ use of strong imagery invokes strong emotions that give the audience a personal connection to the characters and events. In the “The Masque of the Red Death”, the theme is mortality. Poe shows how people are vulnerable to death, even after taking every possible precaution. Poe writes, “The mask ... was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse ... gone so far as to assume the type of the Red Death. His vesture was dabbled in blood - and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror” (6).

Setting Analysis: The Most Dangerous Game Can you imagine reading a story without a setting? Lucky for you, you do not have to imagine because it doesn’t exist. Every story happens somewhere at some time. Therefore, the setting of a story is very important to help with the plot of a story. In order to set a setting, you must add several details to help aid the reader to better comprehend the story.

Death can never be escaped no matter what. In “The Masque of the Red Death” Edgar Allan Poe shows the theme of death, a suspenseful mood, and an ominous tone. Through Poe’s use of literary devices, the reader can discover tone, theme, and mood. Throughout Poe’s life he experienced death with two of his mother’s and his young wife. Death is shown how inevitable it is with Poe’s writing and experiences combined together.

The following night after the narrator kills the cat, the house catches on fire and the next day the narrator comes back to the house to see the ruins and came to see a group of people around a strange bas relief on the wall. The narrator was terrified when he saw what the bas relief was and the narrator writes, “There had been a rope about the animal’s neck” (Poe 3).

This story of death works out, because Edgar Allen Poe gives good use to author’s craft. Edgar Allen Poe uses imagery, symbolism, and setting to create an effective story. In the “Masque of the Red Death” Poe uses description to give imagery.

The entire short story can be envisioned as a scary dream. Poe sets the tone of the story in the very beginning, stating, “The ‘Red Death’ had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal- the redness and the horror of blood,” (Poe 3). This sets an emphatically dark and horrific tone for the reader, which carries into the plot of the story.

Poe wrote in the “Masque of the Red Death,” “The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men,” (Poe 1). It goes to show to what length people will go to survive. In “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor's cellar represented the embodiment of death

Alcohol is a noteworthy theme throughout Edgar Allan Poe’s writing. This may be because of Poe’s struggle with alcoholism. There are two prominent stories Poe has written with strong themes of alcoholism. These stories are the “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Black Cat”. In “The Cask of Amontillado”, alcohol plays a large role in the story.

In Poe’s stories, the main characters experience fear, but they all handle it distinctively. Poe uses irony, symbolism, and imagery to show how fear affects the narrator’s mindset, along with their future.     In “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Masque of Red Death”, the main characters try to isolate themselves from evil, but Poe uses irony to show that death is inevitable.