Contents Of A Dead Man's Pockets By Jack Finney
Life’s events can change our priorities. Tom Benecke’s experience in “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pockets” by Jack Finney is a perfect example of this: before Tom’s experience on the ledge, all he cared about was work, his wife and family, but everything in his life came second to his work. After Tom nearly died, several times, he realized that he was doing life all wrong. It was not until he went through this traumatic experience that anyone could get through to him. If Tom’s priorities can change drastically anyone’s can.
Tom was focused more on work than anything else in life. For example, Tom told his wife “You won’t mind though, will you, when the money comes rolling in and I’m known as the boy wizard of Wholesale groceries.”(111) This quote explains Tom’s thinking prior to his experience. All that Tom was focused on was his work and how he was going to make lots of money. Although Tom’s wife, Clare, had continually told him “I wish you wouldn’t work as much”(111). Tom spent all of his time working and trying to impress his bosses and not enough time with family. While doing this Tom had started drifting away from the people he cared for and loved. Tom later realized that there is more to life than trying to impress people. …show more content…
When Tom realized how much of his life he had already wasted, he started thinking about what could happen if he died.
“There’d be a newsreel next, maybe, and then an animated cartoon, and then interminable scenes from coming pictures.”(123) In this thought Tom is thinking about what would happen after his death, if he were to fall. He was thinking about Clare, his family, and all of the things that he could have done but instead he was working. Tom vowed to himself that if he made it off of the ledge he would quit his workaholic lifestyle and spend more time with the people he loved. As stated, Tom had wasted much of his life that he would never get back and he needed to change
that. Tom knew that he was in the wrong when he stayed at home to work instead of going to the movies Tom had a "hot-guilty conscience"(111). After Tom’s experience on the window he realized that he needed to reprioritize his life. He was going to do so by spending his time with the people he loves not behind a desk staring at a screen or a piece of yellow paper. “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 closed the door behind him.”(125) Tom also realized that his life was not worth one piece of paper. This hot-guilty conscience was gone and Tom was going to spend the rest of the night with his wife having a good time.
In conclusion, after Tom’s traumatic experience on the ledge, he shows that our priorities can change throughout life’s experiences. “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket” by Jack Finney expresses the perfect point, sometimes you have to listen to the people around you when they tell you that your priorities are messed up. Sadly, most of the time it takes a traumatic or life threatening experience to change our priorities but it can still happen.
Tom was focused more on work than anything else in life. For example, Tom told his wife “You won’t mind though, will you, when the money comes rolling in and I’m known as the boy wizard of Wholesale groceries.”(111) This quote explains Tom’s thinking prior to his experience. All that Tom was focused on was his work and how he was going to make lots of money. Although Tom’s wife, Clare, had continually told him “I wish you wouldn’t work as much”(111). Tom spent all of his time working and trying to impress his bosses and not enough time with family. While doing this Tom had started drifting away from the people he cared for and loved. Tom later realized that there is more to life than trying to impress people. …show more content…
When Tom realized how much of his life he had already wasted, he started thinking about what could happen if he died.
“There’d be a newsreel next, maybe, and then an animated cartoon, and then interminable scenes from coming pictures.”(123) In this thought Tom is thinking about what would happen after his death, if he were to fall. He was thinking about Clare, his family, and all of the things that he could have done but instead he was working. Tom vowed to himself that if he made it off of the ledge he would quit his workaholic lifestyle and spend more time with the people he loved. As stated, Tom had wasted much of his life that he would never get back and he needed to change
that. Tom knew that he was in the wrong when he stayed at home to work instead of going to the movies Tom had a "hot-guilty conscience"(111). After Tom’s experience on the window he realized that he needed to reprioritize his life. He was going to do so by spending his time with the people he loves not behind a desk staring at a screen or a piece of yellow paper. “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 closed the door behind him.”(125) Tom also realized that his life was not worth one piece of paper. This hot-guilty conscience was gone and Tom was going to spend the rest of the night with his wife having a good time.
In conclusion, after Tom’s traumatic experience on the ledge, he shows that our priorities can change throughout life’s experiences. “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket” by Jack Finney expresses the perfect point, sometimes you have to listen to the people around you when they tell you that your priorities are messed up. Sadly, most of the time it takes a traumatic or life threatening experience to change our priorities but it can still happen.