What is a summary of the Devil and Tom Walker?
Tom Walker is a miserly, outrageously greedy man, who lives near the swamp with his nagging, scolding, just as greedy, and abusive wife. Their house is forlorn, dilapidated, and has about it “an air of starvation,” as does their horrifically skinny horse. Get the entire Devil and Tom Walker LitChart as a printable PDF.
What literary devices were used in the Devil and Tom Walker?
Literary Devices in. The Devil & Tom Walker. By Trever, Akeria, Analy & Paige. Allegory. In the story, Washington Irving uses the characters to create a point of the traits of human beings. The Old Man (Form of the Devil) represents Human temptation and evil within. The murky forest and quagmires represent Tom's clouded mind that helps his mind easily fall for one of the Devil's tricks.
Who was the narrator in "the Devil and Tom Walker"?
Irving essentially created the genre that "The Devil and Tom Walker'' is written in-a fictional sketch. The fictional narrator, Geoffrey Crayon, relates and views local legends with good-natured skepticism. This devices performs several functions: First, it allows Irving to create more distance between himself and his readers.
What is the story of the Devil and Tom Walker?
The tale narrates the story of a stereotypical American man named Tom Walker who trades his soul for money with the devil. The novelist creates humor in his story by satirizing the institution of marriage and human ambition. One of the first things Irving satirizes in the short story is the institution of marriage.
What does the saying The Devil and Tom Walker mean?
The characters themselves are symbolic. The Devil is temptation and Tom and his wife represent greed. Later in the story, Tom symbolizes hypocrisy when he is attending church but still collecting mortgages.
What is the author's purpose in The Devil and Tom Walker?
As a story, the purpose of "The Devil and Tom Walker" is to issue a warning against the dangers of greed.
Where was The Devil and Tom Walker written?
Washington Irving wanted to establish a uniquely American style of literature, so he set "The Devil and Tom Walker" near Boston in the New England area.
What is the irony in The Devil and Tom Walker?
Tom's surprise is a good example of irony since he has lived his whole life in sin and shouldn't be so startled to see the devil, the very embodiment of sin, in front of him. His surprise also conveys the idea that either Tom has very little self-awareness about his own spiritual self, or he simply doesn't care.
What do the trees in the swamp represent?
The trees of the wooded and swamp area symbolized the land owners, slave drivers, and colonists that have taken the land from the Native Americans. They were all sinners that had made deals with the devil for their own greed and material desires.
What was buried under one of the trees in the inlet?
It was under one of these gigantic trees, according to old stories, that Kidd, the pirate, buried his treasure. The inlet allowed a facility to bring the money in a boat secretly and at night to the very foot of the hill.
What is a symbol of hypocrisy and hidden evil?
Study GuideQuestionAnswerWhat does Irving use to symbolize hypocrisy and hidden evil?The flourishing trees that are rotten to the coreWhat enabled you to predict that the figure that appears to Tom in the forest is the devil?He has large red eyes.12 more rows
How is religion condemned in The Devil and Tom Walker?
In "The Devil and Tom Walker," religion is satirized by Tom Walker's overzealous religiosity. He assumes a public persona that worships the Christian God, but his selfish, predatory behavior suggests that the devil is his true spiritual leader.
What deal does Tom make with the devil in The Devil and Tom Walker?
Answer and Explanation: The deal Tom Walker makes with the devil is Tom will receive Kidd the Pirate's treasure in exchange for his soul (although the exchange of his soul his not explicitly stated in the story, it is implied).
What is the tone of The Devil and Tom Walker?
The tone in "The Devil and Tom Walker" is both creepy and comedic. While the narrator does have a creepy tone fitting for a horror story, there is also a comedic tone as the narrator satirizes Tom Walker and his wife. So, while the tone is creepy, it also conveys amusement at Tom Walker's predicament.
What treasure does the devil offer Tom?
10 Cards in this SetWhat does the Devil offer Tom Walker?Pirate Kids buried treasure (wealthy riches)`As the story progresses, why do you think Tom begins to go to church and carry a Bible with him at all times?Because he tried to keep the Devil away.8 more rows
What is the significance of Tom's finding most of the tall trees?
What is the significance of Tom's finding most of the tall trees in the forest each "marked with the name of some great man of the colony"? Carved onto the trees are the names of men who made a deal with the Devil.
When was the Devil and Tom Walker first published?
"The Devil and Tom Walker" was first published in 1824 among a collection of short stories called "Tales of a Traveller," which Irving wrote under pseudonym Geoffrey Crayon.
Who inspired the Devil and Daniel Webster?
It is widely reported to have inspired Stephen Vincent Benet' s "The Devil and Daniel Webster," which appeared in The Saturday Evening Post in 1936—more than a century after Irving's story came out.
What is the name of the Devil?
Old Scratch is another name for the devil. Irving describes: "It is true, he was dressed in a rude, half Indian garb, and had a red belt or sash swathed round his body, but his face was neither black nor copper color, but swarthy and dingy and begrimed with soot, as if he had been accustomed to toil among fires and forges."
What is Tom Walker's wife's name?
Irving describes: "Tom's wife was a tall termagant, fierce of temper, loud of tongue, and strong of arm. Her voice was often heard in wordy warfare with her husband, and his face sometimes showed signs that their conflicts were not confined to words."
Where does Tom meet the Devil?
Tom meets the devil, Old Scratch, at an abandoned Indian fort hidden away in the swamplands. Old Scratch offers Tom riches hidden by Captain Kidd in exchange for "certain conditions.". The conditions are, of course, that Walker sells his soul to him. Tom initially rejects the offer, but ultimately agrees. Tom's wife confronts Old Scratch.
Who is the devil in the swamp?
While walking through the swamp, Walker comes upon the devil, a great "black" man carrying an ax, whom Irving calls Old Scratch. The devil in disguise tells Walker about the treasure, saying that he controls it but will give it to Tom for a price. Walker agrees readily, without really considering what he is expected to pay in return—his soul. The rest of the tale follows the twists and turns one might expect as a result of greed-driven decisions and deal-making with the devil.
Who is Tom Walker?
Tom Walker is the protagonist of the story. He is described as "a meager miserly fellow" and is probably Irving's least likable character. However, despite his many unsavory characteristics, he is memorable. Walker is often compared to Faust/Faustus, the protagonist of the legend that has inspired countless works throughout literary history, including Marlowe, Goethe, and more.
Who wrote the Devil and Tom Walker?
Washington Irving composed this short story while he was living in Germany and was particularly interested in the folktales of the region and the Faust legend. For this reason, some critics consider “The Devil and Tom Walker” to be the “New England Faust.”.
Where did Irving set The Devil and Tom Walker?
Washington Irving wanted to establish a uniquely American style of literature, so he set "The Devil and Tom Walker" near Boston in the New England area. In the early 18th century, New England was one of the largest and most-established metropolitan areas in North America. Irving's descriptions of the landscapes and the cultural references would have been familiar to the area's inhabitants. Furthermore, the New England setting provides background for Irving's interest in Walker's morality. Puritans, Quakers, and Anabaptists, all strict Christian orders concerned with moral consciousness, populated the area.
What is the theme of the swamp and the inlet?
The description of the inlet and swamp as well as the inclusion of the devil introduce the story's themes of moral corruption and greed while simultaneously helping establish a dark and mysterious tone for the story. The swamp is dark and dangerous, but it also has a seductive allure with the promise of wealth and hidden treasure.
What happened to Tom Walker's iron chest?
In place of gold and silver, his iron chest was filled with chips and shavings; two skeletons lay in his stable instead of his half-starved horses, and the very next day his great house took fire and was burned to the ground. Such was the end of Tom Walker and his ill-gotten wealth.
What did Tom find when he reached home?
When Tom reached home he found the black print of a finger burned, as it were, into his forehead, which nothing could obliterate.
What did the black man tell Tom Walker?
The black man told him of great sums of money buried by Kidd the pirate under the oak-trees on the high ridge, not far from the morass. All these were under his command, and protected by his power, so that none could find them but such as propitiated his favor. These he offered to place within Tom Walker's reach, having conceived an especial kindness for him; but they were to be had only on certain conditions. What these conditions were may be easily surmised, though Tom never disclosed them publicly. They must have been very hard, for he required time to think of them, and he was not a man to stick at trifles when money was in view. When they had reached the edge of the swamp, the stranger paused. "What proof have I that all you have been telling me is true?" said Tom. "There's my signature," said the black man, pressing his finger on Tom's forehead. So saying, he turned off among the thickets of the swamp, and seemed, as Tom said, to go down, down, down, into the earth, until nothing but his head and shoulders could be seen, and so on, until he totally disappeared.
What was Tom Walker's skull?
As he turned up the soil unconsciously, his staff struck against something hard. He raked it out of the vegetable mould, and lo! a cloven skull, with an Indian tomahawk buried deep in it, lay before him. The rust on the weapon showed the time that had elapsed since this death-blow had been given. It was a dreary memento of the fierce struggle that had taken place in this last foothold of the Indian warriors.
When does Tom Walker's story start?
The story proper opens in 1727. Tom Walker is a miserly, outrageously greedy man, who lives near the swamp with his nagging, scolding, just as greedy, and abusive wife. Their house is forlorn, dilapidated, and has about it “an air of starvation,” as does their horrifically skinny horse.
Where is Tom Walker buried?
Before the story of Tom Walker begins, the narrator sets the scene by telling us about the pirate Captain Kidd, who long ago buried his ill-gotten treasure in a dismal swamp not far from Boston, Massachusetts.
What did Tom and Old Scratch talk about?
Tom and Old Scratch walk toward Tom’s house together and converse in earnest about Captain Kidd’s pirate treasure as well as a business deal, presumably that Tom sell his soul to the devil in exchange for Kidd’s treasure.
What is the name of the tree Tom is sitting on?
All the nearby trees are similarly marked with the names of great men from the colony, including the one Tom is sitting on, which bears the name of Crowninshield, a mighty man rich from buccaneering who, the devil tells Tom, is ready to burn. Tom and Old Scratch walk toward Tom’s house together and converse in earnest about Captain Kidd’s pirate ...
What does Tom find in the swamp?
There he decides to rest, but as he idly pokes with his staff into the earth he finds an old skull, which he kicks to shake the dirt from it.
Why does Tom have his horse upside down?
More crazily, Tom also has his horse buried fully equipped and upside-down so that on Judgment Day, when the world turns topsy-turvy, he can outrun the devil’s clutches.
Did Tom Walker return to the land jobber's mortgage?
Tom Walker never returned to foreclose the land jobber’s mortgage. One story holds that the horse galloped with him back to the old Indian fortress, where the two disappeared in a bolt of lightning. After Tom’s disappearance, the Bostonians who are given the task of taking care of his abandoned estate find that there’s nothing, in fact, to care for: his bonds and mortgages are reduced to cinders; his gold and silver have turned to wood “chips and filings”; his horses have turned to skeletons; and the very next day even his vast house goes up in flames. Such is the end of Tom Walker and his ill-gotten wealth, though it is said to this day that he continues to haunt on horseback the old Indian fort in the swamp, still wearing his morning gown.
Historical Context
Plot Summary
- The story opens with the tale of how Captain Kidd, a pirate, buried some treasure in a swamp just outside Boston. It then jumps to the year 1727, when New Englander Tom Walker happened to find himself walking through this swamp. Walker, explains the narrator, was just the kind of man to jump at the prospect of a buried treasure, as he, along with his wife, was selfish to the point o…
Main Characters
- Tom Walker
Tom Walker is the protagonist of the story. He is described as "a meager miserly fellow" and is probably Irving's least likable character. However, despite his many unsavory characteristics, he is memorable. Walker is often compared to Faust/Faustus, the protagonist of the legend that has i… - Walker's wife
Walker's wife is such a minor character that her name is never given, but she can be likened to her husband in her miserly nature and volatile temper. Irving describes: "Tom's wife was a tall termagant, fierce of temper, loud of tongue, and strong of arm. Her voice was often heard in wor…
Major Events and Setting
- "The Devil and Tom Walker" may be a short story, but quite a bit takes place in its few pages. The events—and the locations in which they take place—really drive the overarching theme of the story: avarice and its consequences. The events of the story can be divided into two locations:
Key Quotes
- The legend of a man who sells his soul to the devil and its devious consequences has been retold many times, but Irving's original words truly reveal the story. Setting the scene: Describing the protagonist: Describing the protagonist and his wife: Laying out the potential moral consequences of greed: The community's state of mind regarding the death of Walker and his wife:
Study Guide Questions
- Once students have had a chance to read this classic tale, test their knowledge with these study questions: 1. What is important about the title? Had you ever heard a similar phrase before reading the story? 2. What are the conflicts in "The Devil and Tom Walker?" What types of conflict (physical, moral, intellectual, or emotional) do you see? 3. Who was Faust (in literary history)? Ho…