54 pages • 1 hour read
Jack FinneyContents of the Dead Man's Pocket
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1956A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Background
Geographical Context: New York City
“Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” is set in Manhattan, one of the five boroughs in New York City. The smallest of the five boroughs, Manhattan is the most densely populated area in New York City. It is the city’s commercial, financial, and cultural center, and home to millions of who live in high-rise apartments and work in the borough.
The story contains numerous allusions to Manhattan. Lexington Avenue is a main thoroughfare on the east side of Manhattan; about six miles long, it runs south from East 131st Street to Gramercy Park at East 21st Street. From his view on the ledge, Tom sees the historic Loew’s Lexington Theatre, “blocks ahead [of him] past Fiftieth Street” (24). During the story’s time period, the famous movie house, dating to 1923, was located at Lexington Avenue and 51st Street. Tom mentions working at “the Public Library on Fifth Avenue” (22), a reference to the main branch of the New York Public Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.
The setting of “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” places Tom in the heart of Manhattan, the center of New York City’s business and finance culture. Viewing the story through its geographical
