The Devil and Tom Walker

death a form of fear or the wrath of the devil himself. In the poem “Because I could stop not stop for death” by Emily Dickinson, the poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, and the story “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving, all use rhetorical strategies of English text to convey their views of death. There are many different interpretations of death, such as how death is a gentleman, or death is a form of fear, or death is a representation of the devil. Although the authors in Chapter…

black man whisked him like a child into the saddle, gave the horse the lash, and he galloped with Tom on his back in the midst of a thunderstorm”(Irving 332). Tom Walker made a deal with the devil: which is obviously going to end very grotesquely. Throughout the whole story it was not a matter of if the devil was going to harm Tom, it was a matter of when. So Irving built up plenty of tension and made Tom an oblivious character to where he could have been killed at any second in the story just…

In The Devil and Tom Walker, Tom’s wife goes looking to make a deal with the devil. She had brought her household valuables, but when she did not return, Tom went looking for her. While looking around, Tom found his valuables, a heart, and a liver. Realizing his wife was dead, he “consoled himself for the loss of his property, with the loss of his wife, for he was a man of fortitude” (pg.182). Also, Tom believes that he “will endeavor to do without the woman”…

their pens behind their ears and stared after him from the windows. Away went Tom Walker, dashing down the streets; his white cap bobbing up and down; his morning gown fluttering in the wind, and his steed striking fire out of the pavement at every bound. When the clerks turned to look for the black man he had disappeared,” Irving writes in his 4th to last paragraph. He uses imagination in this quote by having the devil come and take him away from his office after his had made profit from Kidd’s…

In both stories, there is one person who is making the marriage awful. The Devil in Tom Walker states, “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.” The two stories are different because Irving wrote about how the woman was the strict…

Those who are loyal may turn to betrayal when their cause or ambition leads them to crave more power. Throughout the resources given a common theme is how loyalty leads to power which soon leads to betrayal. Each excerpt, video, and audio has the theme or parts of it are apparent. Loyalty is given to those who have power; although the most powerful may not deserve loyalty it is given to them due to the fact that many believe that those who have power are most likely to make a change.…

Through this year’s entire exploration of American Literature, one theme has always remained constant: The Pursuit of Happiness. Every story, every character, and every plot we have studied have all had their own. Throughout this year of studying and analyzing these characters that every person in the world, I have learned that every person, fictional or real, has their own method of pursuing happiness. Some find happiness within love, while others find it within fortune or fame. Whichever way…

be overlooked and seen as unimportant, when really those are the things individuals will end up missing if they were ever taken away. In The Devil and Daniel Webster, Daniel fought for Jabez Stone’s freedom from the devil, after Jabez had already sold his soul. Daniel realized “For it was him they’d come for, not only Jabez Stone” Daniel shouts to the devil, “You shall not hate this man”(Benet 313-316). Daniel acknowledges how much his freedom means to him, and imagines that it means the same to…

miles from Boston, Massachusetts lived Tom and his wife, Gwendolyn. The two were never the friendliest people. They were alike in many ways, greedy, self-centered, and exceedingly stubborn. They had a fond emotion for each other, but their clashing personalities formed a barrier between them. Tom and Gwendolyn, however, never knew how far they could push each other until one fateful day: Hearing of great treasures hidden in the overgrown forest, Tom Walker decided he would check it out. With a…

has a similar approach to Hawthorne’s focus on repeating mistakes; however, Irving’s central focus in “The Devil and Tom Walker” is based on human values and morals. His main character Tom Walker is dramatized to criticize a number of things in today’s society and human nature like: greed, religion, and moral values. The overwhelming desire for wealth drives Tom to make a deal with the devil. He feels no remorse for the murder of his wife or the loss of his property which criticizes the selfish…