Contents Of The Dead Man's Pocket Analysis

Can life’s events cause us to change our priorities? According to Merriam Webster, priority is defined as something that is more important than other things and that needs to be done or dealt with first. Life’s events definitely can change the priorities of people. People prioritize based on what is important to him/her, and life’s events can cause a person’s view of importance to change. For example, in the story, “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket,” Tom Benecke’s priorities change.

In the beginning of the story, Tom’s priority is success at work. He wants a higher status at work and to be more established in the company. This is proven by Tom Benecke choosing to stay at home and work on his project rather than to go to the movies with his wife, Clare. He says this about his projects and ideas: “They were the way to change from

Tom thinks about how if he dies, the only thing in his pocket will be a sheet of paper with calculations and observations about a grocery story. He thinks about how to the people that find him, it will mean nothing. He thinks to himself, “Contents of the dead man’s pockets, he thought with a sudden fierce anger, a wasted life.” (p 123) He realizes that he has wasted his life focusing on things that are not important. He then sets his priorities straight. With his number one priority in mind, “He shot his arm forward toward the glass, and he said, ‘Clare!” (p 124). He broke back into his house with the thought of staying alive for his wife as his motivation. After he came into the house, Tom sat the yellow sheet of paper on his desk and got his things ready to join his wife at the theatre. A gust of wind swept into the house. “As he saw the yellow paper...sail out into the night and out of his life, Tom Benecke burst into laughter and closed the door behind him.”(p 125). No longer are thoughts of success and money on his mind; Tom’s priorities have