Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Epilogue to ‘Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket’”

In this activity, students will write an epilogue for the story in order to think about how Tom changes throughout the story.

Tom is an example of a dynamic character who changes over the course of the story. The story ends with Tom leaving his apartment to find his wife at the movie. You will write the epilogue, or extra section of the story that extends the story and themes to arrive at a new conclusion, to explore how Tom has changed.

• Consider how Tom’s motivations, actions, and thoughts have changed throughout the novel.
• Find 2-3 examples from throughout the story to support your idea on how Tom changes. Keep in mind how the character is motivated at the story’s beginning and how his changing actions reflect the theme of The Consequences of Unbridled Ambition.
• Write an epilogue, consisting of several paragraphs, that shows Tom’s motivations, actions, and thoughts as he goes to meet his wife and arrives at the theater. Consider what he might say to her when they meet.
• Share your epilogue with a classmate. How are your versions of a changed Tom similar? How are they different?
• Write a reflection that explains how you captured the theme of The Consequences of Unbridled Ambition in your epilogue, and what Tom has learned from his experience.

Teaching Suggestion: This is a good opportunity for students to think deeply about characterization and the ways that authors teach their readers about characters. Students may be tempted to write directly about Tom: “He did not think work was as important as he did earlier in the day.” Encourage them to use indirect characterization that teaches their reader about Tom but requires them to infer.

• Characterization description and examples, including indirect characterization

Differentiation Suggestion: English learners may benefit from sentence frames to help organize their writing. For example:

As Tom walked to the movie theater, he wondered how he could ever have believed...

He couldn’t wait to…

When he finally saw Clare, he…

Paired Text Extension:

“Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” forces Tom to reckon with what he really values in life. “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver explores this same concept of living a meaningful life.

• “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver
• Read “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver to connect to “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” and the theme of The Will to Live.
• Discuss with a partner how Tom would view this poem at the beginning of the story compared to how he would view it at the end of the story.

Teaching Suggestion: This poem from Mary Oliver ends by asking the audience: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do/with your one wild and precious life?” Students can use this question as a focal point for exploring the characterization of Tom and how he evolves throughout the story.