Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket

Imagery is descriptive writing that appeals to the physical senses; it is often created through figurative devices like similes and metaphors. Imagery allows readers to experience a story as if they were present in the narrative. The imagery in “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” fully engages readers with Tom and his experience as he stands 11 stories above Lexington Avenue.

The story includes numerous visual, auditory, and tactile (touch) descriptions. Looking down at Lexington Avenue, Tom sees “miles of traffic signals, all green now” (25). The pedestrians he sees are metaphorically described as “moving black dots” (25). These visuals emphasize the great distance between Tom and the street below. The auditory imagery further entrenches the reader in the scene. Tom hears the “toned-down volume of the street traffic far beneath him,” which slows and then stops, “almost to silence” (25). Then, as the traffic light changes, he hears the “the subdued roar of the cars starting up again” (25).

Both auditory and visual imagery are present as Tom hears the “dry scrape” of the yellow paper moving along the ledge and sees it looking “like a leaf on the pavement” (22), this last description an example of