Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. While Clare is only in the story briefly, her character plays an important role.

• How does Clare impact the plot and her husband, Tom? (topic sentence)
• Identify at least 2-3 specific passages in which Clare plays an important role, even in absentia.
• In your concluding statement or paragraph, explain Clare’s purpose in the story.

2. The author builds tension throughout the story, keeping his audience unsure of what may happen next.

• How does the author create suspense and tension? (topic sentence)
• Describe 2-3 moments where Tom’s life is in danger and his fate is uncertain. What techniques does the writer use in these scenes? Consider Finney’s use of action, description, and the character’s thoughts.
• In your concluding statement or paragraph, explain how the author creates suspense and how this suspense impacts the overall story.  

3. The yellow piece of paper is an important symbol in the story.

• What does the yellow paper symbolize throughout the story? (topic sentence)
• Identify 2-3 passages in the story that focus on the yellow paper. How is this paper described? How does Tom think about the paper?
• In your concluding statement or paragraph, explain what the yellow paper symbolizes and how Tom’s view of this symbol changes throughout the story. Connect your thinking to the theme of The Consequences of Unbridled Ambition.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. The story has two settings: the apartment and the ledge. How does the development of each setting’s atmosphere affect Tom and the audience? Write a well-developed essay that answers this question, considering in particular the author’s use of imagery to develop the atmosphere of each setting. Use specific quotations from the text, including examples from both settings, to support your answer, and remember to cite all direct quotes.

2. How does fear drive Tom’s actions and the story’s plot? Complete your own research on how fear can affect thoughts and actions. Write a structured essay in which you connect your research to the theme of Controlling and Overcoming Fear in “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket.” Support your ideas with specific textual examples from the story and your research, and remember to cite all direct quotes and attribute paraphrased examples to your sources.

3. The author crafts an ironic ending that is foreshadowed by Tom’s epiphany while on the ledge. Write a well-developed essay in which you connect these literary devices of situational irony, foreshadowing, and epiphany to one or more of the following themes: The Consequences of Unbridled Ambition or The Will to Live. Use specific quotations from the text to support your answer, and remember to cite all direct quotes.