The archetype for the “The Devil and Tom Walker” would be that of
Faust
. Washington’s story describes the archetypal “deal with the devil” that ends in tragedy. It is usually the case that the benefits associated with a Faustian bargain are dwarfed by what is required in return.
What does Tom symbolize in The Devil and Tom Walker?
Tom’s house represents
the ostentatious side of greed
as Tom shows himself to be wealthy, while the lack of furnishings shows the more practical side of greed that withholds unnecessary expenditure. When Tom grows rich as a usurer, he builds himself a house that reflects his greedy and miserly character.
What does The Devil and Tom Walker satire?
Washington Irving’s short story ‘The Devil and Tom Walker’ uses
satire to critique both people and ideas
. Satire uses humor, irony, or exaggeration as a way to highlight problems with people, institutions, or social ideologies so that those problems can be addressed and improved upon.
What do the characters in The Devil and Tom Walker represent?
The devil represents
moral sin and seeks to corrupt others
. In this respect, he uses Tom Walker’s ambition for his own purposes. The devil is described as a “great black man,” because his face is covered in soot and dirt. He wears a red belt, or sash, and carries a large axe upon his back.
What is Irving criticizing in The Devil and Tom Walker?
Washington Irving is critical of a number of different things in “The Devil and Tom Walker” including religious hypocrisy and avarice. However, the most central target of his criticisms is
the practice of usury or predatory lending
.
What does Washington Irving poke fun at in his narrative The Devil and Tom Walker?
In this passage, Irving pokes fun at
quarrelsome, complaining women
: . . . Though a female scold is generally considered to be a match for the devil, yet in this instance she appears to have had the worst of it.
What do the devil’s trees in the swamp represent?
Describe the devil’s trees. What do they symbolize? 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 does Tom Walker’s house symbolize?
Expert Answers
The Walkers’ house: Their house represents
the barrenness in their marriage
. Tom and his wife barely tolerate each other; so their desolate house and land illustrate the lack of life in their relationship.
What is the main point of the Devil and Tom Walker?
The main themes in “The Devil and Tom Walker” are
greed, corruption, and misery
. Greed: Tom’s greed is his downfall, and his repentance at the end of the story does not change his fate. Corruption: As soon as Tom accepts Old Scratch’s deal, he spends the rest of his life miserable and alone, corrupted by his greed.
Who is the black man in the Devil and Tom Walker?
The “black man” is the Devil, although in the context of this story he goes by the name of
Old Scratch
, or the Black Woodsman.
Is Tom Walker selfish?
Both Tom Walker and his wife are miserly, greedy, selfish people
. The narrator describes the state of the Walker house as being one with little amenities and decoration–Tom and his wife both want to keep their money rather than to spend it on anything extra.
Is Tom Walker poor?
Tom Walker is
a poor man
as well as a greedy one. He is unwilling to share with others anything that he can claim as his. He is also a brave man, unafraid to enter into places haunted by supernatural tales and to deal directly with the devil when he meets him.
Why are Tom and his wife so unhappy?
Why are Tom and his wife unhappy?
They fight about money
. Irving implements satire when he describes Tom in the following passage. “Tom was a hard-minded fellow, not easily daunted, and he had lived so long with a termagant wife that he did not even fear the devil.”
What are the conflicts in The Devil and Tom Walker?
The External Conflict is
Man vs. Society AND Man vs. Supernatural
because Tom Walker faces Society when he was poor and he faces the devil when he was weathly.
Why does Woodsman score the trees?
Essentially,
Old Scratch scores the names of men who have sold him their souls onto the trees in the forest
. The prominent men, whose names are scored onto the trees, sold their souls to the Devil in exchange for wealth. The trees that have been chopped down represent the souls that Old Scratch has collected.
What happens to Tom Walker’s money at the end of the story quizlet?
What happened to Tom Walker’s money at the end of the story?
It turns into cinders and ashes
.
