In Jack Finney's "Contents of the Dead Man's Pockets," the
two settings of the living room and that of the window ledge represent the comfortable
environment of complacency and the fearful environment that holds the "moment of truth."
An aspiring businessman, Tom Benecke works so much on a project that will give him a
raise that he neglects his loving wife. When she prepares to go to the movies alone, he
rationalizes his neglect by saying,
"You won't mind, though, will you, when the
money starts rolling in and I'm known as the Boy Wizard of Wholesale Groceries?" "I
guess not," She smiled and turned back toward the
bedroom.
As his wife leaves,
Tom has some trouble closing the door; the opened window draws the air and Tom's yellow
sheet with all the facts and figures he has worked on wafts out onto the ledge. Without
considering the danger, Tom goes onto the ledge because the yellow sheet represents all
his work that will bring him a raise, and his business success consumes him. At this
point, Tom does not think about his being on the ledge of the eleventh floor where any
slip can mean death; he just wants to get the yellow sheet of paper. However, when the
window slams shut after Tom retrieves his sheet, he encounters his "moment of
truth." After futile attempts to get attention by dropping coins from his pocket, Tom
ponders the remaining contents of his pocket: the single yellow sheet for which he has
risked his life. He laughs at his foolishness in having risked his life with his
beloved life with Clare for the raise he has desired.
This
truth involves Tom's use of time. In the living room of his apartment, Tom has misused
his time, killed it, by working on his grocery project. Out on the ledge faced with
possible death, Tom realizes that his time should be spent on the true values of life:
sharing moments with his loved ones. His personal relationships are far more important
than business relationships.
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