Washington Irving’s short story, “The Devil and Tom Walker,” uses the third person omniscient to bring to life many of the cultural positions of the characters. This particular point of view allows readers to understand deeper meanings of certain characters, for nothing is held back by the narrator. Through the narration of the main storyteller, the cultural attitude towards the woman of the story is illuminated by the way the narrator speaks of her.
The third person omniscient narrator offers descriptions of each character and has an unbiased attitude towards the fictional people, while also allowing the reader to know what is going on in the minds of each of the characters. Here Irving’s narrater describes Tom Walker and his wife: “He [Tom Walker] had a wife as miserly as himself: they were so miserly that they even conspired to cheat on each other” (Irving, 259). Here, the characters are described in a way they would never use about themselves. The reader is able to understand how the townspeople view Tom Walker and his wife; it’s likely that the community does not approve of their stingy ways …show more content…
The narrator depicts the wife as conniving and deceitful, as he reveals her plans to steal their valuables to bargain with the devil; “At length she determined to drive the bargain on her own account, and if she succeeded, to keep all the gain to herself” (Irving, 263). Without the narrator to illustrate the wife’s cunning plan, the story would be missing a vital piece of information. Since the narrator is completely unbiased, the extent of their cruelty and greed is illuminated to the full
The third person omniscient narrator offers descriptions of each character and has an unbiased attitude towards the fictional people, while also allowing the reader to know what is going on in the minds of each of the characters. Here Irving’s narrater describes Tom Walker and his wife: “He [Tom Walker] had a wife as miserly as himself: they were so miserly that they even conspired to cheat on each other” (Irving, 259). Here, the characters are described in a way they would never use about themselves. The reader is able to understand how the townspeople view Tom Walker and his wife; it’s likely that the community does not approve of their stingy ways …show more content…
The narrator depicts the wife as conniving and deceitful, as he reveals her plans to steal their valuables to bargain with the devil; “At length she determined to drive the bargain on her own account, and if she succeeded, to keep all the gain to herself” (Irving, 263). Without the narrator to illustrate the wife’s cunning plan, the story would be missing a vital piece of information. Since the narrator is completely unbiased, the extent of their cruelty and greed is illuminated to the full