The Devil and Tom Walker Washington Irving

“The Devil and Tom Walker” Washington Irving

2. Describe the settings of the story. o Tom’s Home: n “…a forlorn looking house that stood alone and had an air of starvation. ” (230) o Lifeless; lacking qualities of warmth n “…a miserable horse whose limbs were as articulate as the bars of a gridiron…” (230) o Tom and his wife are neglectful, only concerned with selves

2. Describe the settings of the story. o Indian Fort: n “It was a dreary memento of the fierce struggle that had taken place in this last foothold of the Indian warriors” (231) o Invokes the memory of death and disaster; represents Hell n “Anyone but [Tom] would have felt unwilling to linger in this lonely, melancholy place…” (231) o Most people, with the exception of Tom, fear the fort

2. Describe the settings of the story. o Boston n Boston = Corruption n The city is riddled with mishaps involving materialism/capitalism ($$$) o “In a word, the great speculating fever… had raged to an alarming degree, and everybody was dreaming of making sudden fortunes for nothing. ” (236)

3. Describe the devil. How does he differ from our traditional perception? o Devil’s characteristics: n “Neither Negro nor Indian” n “…dressed in a rude half-Indian garb” n “his face… begrimed with soot, as if he had been accustomed to toil among fires and forges. ” n “…had a shock of coarse black hair… and bore an ax on his shoulder” o “Old Scratch” appears more humanlike than supernatural.

4. Describe the trees that surround the Indian fort. What do they symbolize? o The trees are marked with the name of a wealthy proprietor, each of which has made a deal with the devil n The Devil has hewn through the trees marked with a dead man’s name o The trees symbolize moral decay n “…fair and flourishing” on the outside and yet “rotten at the core. ” (231)

5. What is the devil’s signature? o The Devil’s signature is a thumbprint to Tom’s forehead n “When Tom reached home, he found the black print of a finger, burnt, as it were, into his forehead, which nothing could obliterate. ” (233)

6. Why doesn’t Tom accept the devil’s offer immediately? o Tom is not prone to letting his wife in on secrets involving money n “…he was determined not to do so to oblige his wife; so he flatly refused out of the mere spirit of contradiction. ” (233) n “…but the more she talked, the more resolute was Tom not to be damned to please her. ”

7. What does Tom’s wife do after he talks to her about the devil’s offer? o Tom’s wife meets in secret with the Devil but refuses to let Tom in on the deal she has made with him n “At length she was determined to drive the bargain on her own account. ” (233) o She carries off in her apron every “portable article of value” but is never seen again

8. Ultimately, what happens to Tom’s wife? o Although the details of her demise are unclear, we are led to believe that she is killed by the Devil in order to entice Tom to make the deal o Tom finds only her liver and heart wrapped up in her apron; he does not seem saddened by her death n “He even felt something like gratitude towards the black woodsman, who, he considered, had done him a kindness. ” (235)

9. What does the Devil want Tom to do for the money? Why won’t he do it? What does he finally agree to do? o The Devil wants Tom to deal in “black traffic” and become a slave trader o Tom refuses out of good conscience; there are few things Tom won’t do for money and this is one of those things o This is telling of Washington Irving’s feelings about slavery. o Tom agrees, instead, to become “usurer” (loan shark) n Loan out Kidd’s money at a high rate in order to make more $$$

11. What the following symbolize? o. Old Scratch = Temptation o. Tom Walker = Greed & Hypocrisy o. Boston = Corruption o. The Bible = Protection o. The Indian fort = Hell

13. What are possible themes for this story? (theme = universal idea) o o o o Temptation Greed Dishonesty Salvation Domestic dispute Wickedness Hypocrisy

14. One of the characteristics of Romantic literature is the past. Irving uses legend and folklore as American past/history. Complete the following chart with examples from the story. Characteristics of Folk Tales Long, local history Relate unusual or unlikely events Involve stereotypical or stock characters Teach a lesson or express a general truth about life May have an allegorical meaning Example from “The Devil and Tom Walker” The legend of Kidd the Pirate’s treasure Meeting the Devil in the forest ; making a compact with a supernatural being Devil = trickster Tom = Miser Wife = termagant Taking short cuts in life will lead you down the wrong path American capitalist greed

15. An allegory is defined as a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms or a symbolic narrative. Look at “The Devil and Tom Walker” as an allegory – (for the American economic system? ) What might each of these represent? (Look back at the symbolism question…it will help) o Old Scratch Federal Capitalist enterprise o Murky woods uncertain/unknown curiosities --the stock market? ? o Trees pillars of economic miscues (decay on the inside/”beauty” on the outside) o Tom Walker the lenders o Tom’s short cut through the woods “ill-chosen” short cuts to wealth; wrong path

16. Satire is defined as the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc. Is Irving satirizing an individual, a society, or all of humankind? Explain, using examples from the text. At what foibles does he level his attack? o Irving attacks man’s insatiable hunger for wealth and he exploits the readiness of mankind to compromise his moral integrity. o Weaknesses o o Curiosity Greed Lack of work ethic Imperialist nature

17. Dramatic irony is a literary device whereby a character inadvertently speaks the truth, foreshadowing tragic events of which he is unaware. Find the sentence in the conclusion of the tale where Tom makes this kind of ironic statement. o “The Devil take me…” (230)

“The Devil and Tom Walker”