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Narrative essay for univrrsity students
Narrative essay for univrrsity students
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The Allegory of The Devil and Tom Walker Explained
The short story The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving can be presented as an allegory. An allegory is a story in which its character symbolize larger traits in human nature (Wilson 52). Tom Walker is a miserly character who does not have a very good relationship with his wife (Irving 351). Tom is so blinded by his steadfast urge to be wealthy that he is led right into the clutches of the devil. He made a pact with Old Scratch that said it would make Tom rich, in exchange for his soul. However, this deal surely spelled out his demise in the end. Tom Walker’s moral corruption is a result of his greed, hypocrisy, and hubris. Tom is a greedy man who only looks after himself, and his
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Hubris is false pride in oneself to the point that they are blinded by their own arrogance, and make decisions based on that arrogance. Tom walker shared this flaw with his wife, even though they both loathed each other. Tom’s wife exemplifies hubris when she decides to take it upon herself to make a deal with the devil. This ends in a fight which leaves her dead (Zug 57). Her false pride was nothing against the devil, and all that was left was her heart and liver tied up in a cypress tree. Her hubris played a part in Tom’s decision to make a deal with the devil. As a result of her death, Tom did not have to worry about sharing the wealth with her if he did strike the deal with Old Scratch. After her death, the decision was a lot easier for him to make when he knew he could keep all the wealth to himself. He also shows hubris when he thinks he can outwit the devil by going to church, rigorously practicing religion, carrying a bible everywhere he goes, keeping a bible on his counting house desk, and burying his horse fully saddled so he could try to ride away from the devil. (Irving 358). His false pride in himself led him to believe that he could actually weasel his way out of the deal. One day he was caught off guard without carrying his bible while foreclosing a mortgage, and the devil seized him. He was carried off on a black horse in the direction of the Old Indian Fort in the swamp during a thunderstorm …show more content…
The devil proposed an deal for Tom that he just could not pass up. The deal did not say exactly what was in exchange for the treasure, but it can be assumed that he would trade his soul for the buried treasure of Kidd the pirate along with more wealth than he could have ever imagined. Tom did not accept the offer right away because he did not want to share it with his wife. Eventually, his wife became anxious and tried to make the same deal with the devil. This ended with her heart and liver hung in her apron in a tree, and Old Scratch carrying her away; never to be seen again. After the death of his wife, Tom agrees to the deal because he will not have to share his tremendous wealth with his wife. The devil instructs Tom to become a moneylender, and to take people’s money through ridiculous interest rates on loans. Eventually the devil catches up with tom and takes him away; never to be seen again (Irving 350-359). The allegory The Devil and Tom Walker is centered around the idea of moral corruption. Everything about the story and its main characters is morally corrupt. Tom Walker’s moral corruption comes from his greed, hypocrisy, and his hubris. Tom’s moral corruption ultimately seals the deal for him as an individual for the rest of his life and his afterlife in
Tom Walker’s devil is a dark-skinned man with red eyes, red sash, and an axe. Tom was a malicious, greedy person who dealt with the devil in order to gain some wealth. He and his wife would fight constantly day after day. Tom was not a wealthy person
In “The Devil and Tom Walker,” written by Washington Irving’s, Tom Walker gives his soul to the devil for greediest. For example, in the story, it was said, “He accumulated bonds and mortgages, gradually squeezed his customers closer and closer and sent them at length, dry as a sponge, from his door.” This shows how greedy and selfish he was for not caring about what anyone else feels,
Perhaps in both stories the role of the devil, whether truly present in the plot or only mentioned as figure of evil, is very central to portraying the Puritans. In “The Devil and Tom Walker,” the devil is simply a large man covered in soot. Irving describes him as, “a great black man” and “his face was neither black nor copper color, but swarthy and dingy, and begrimed in soot (Irving, 179).” Most Puritans would believe the devil is a fiery, red, horned man with a pointed tell and trident, but this is not the case. The devil is further established when he himself states, “I amuse myself by presiding at the persecutions of Quakers and Anabaptists; I am the great patron and prompter of slave dealers…(Irving, 180).
Soon he falls asleep and when he wakes up, he finds that he is on a table and a scythe is being lowered from the ceiling. The scythe is another symbol of death. As the scythe is coming down, he tries to find a way to get away from it. At the end of the story, he is saved at the last moment by " an outstretched arm caught my own as I fell, fainting, into the abyss." Washington Irving also talks about death and the devil in his short story "The Devil and Tom Walker." He writes more about the devil than he does death and he does not put himself in the place of the main character like Poe did. Tom, the main character, is a greedy person along with his wife. As he comes home one night, he goes through some woods and meets the devil. "Tom might have felt disposed to sell himself to the devil," but he was afraid to. On the other hand, his wife was not afraid and she disappears. Then Tom makes a deal with the devil, but soon "he thought with regret of the bargain he had made with his black friend, and set his wits to work to cheat him out of the conditions." He turns to religion and carries Bibles with him to keep the devil away, but it does
Both “The Devil and Tom Walker” and “The Devil and Daniel Webster” are exemplary specimens of Faustian myths, and as such have very many similarities and concurrences. But, they also emphasize different aspects of the characters and their respective personalities. These two commendable stories serve as excellent chronicles of literature and as worthy examples of moral lessons for all ages.
"About the year 1727, just at the time when earthquakes were prevalent in New England, and shook many tall sinners down upon their knees, there lived near this place a meager miserly fellow of the name of Tom Walker." (Irving) “The Devil and Tom Walker” is a short story written by Washington Irving in about 1824. The story is about a man who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for Pirate Kidd’s hidden treasure. The man, named Tom Walker, is a greedy, selfish man who thinks money is more important than his wife. “The Devil and Tom Walker” is the best short story example of Romanticism. The story uses escapism, nature as a form of spirituality, and imagination, which are all tenets of Romanticism.
Can you imagine yourself locked up in a room with no doors? Similar to a room with no doors, there is no way out of hell if it was one's destiny. In the short story "The Devil & Tom Walker" by Washington Irving, the main character's fate is hell because of his wrong decisions in life, accepting a deal with the devil for earthly benefits. Irving reinforces his message about not making decisions that may damn your soul with the use of literary elements and figurative language. Wisely, Irving combines characterization, mood and point of view to perpetuate the theme of the story in the reader's mind.
In Washington Irving’s story, The Devil and Tom Walker, Irving uses his imagination to convey his thoughts about the truth of life through symbols and characterization. In one specific instance in the story, the main character, Tom Walker, is walking home and “he took what he considered a shortcut homeward, through the swamp. Like most shortcuts, it was an ill-chosen route.” The path being “thickly grown with great gloomy pines” symbolizes the path of wrongdoings, bad decisions, and darkness. By taking this path, one then strays off the path of
Washington Irving displays a sense of humor throughout “The Devil and Tom Walker” about greed, marriage and religion to help the reader, become a better person. Tom Walker makes a Faustian Bargain, also known as a deal with the devil. Tom has a lot of problems with his abusive wife, his desire for riches and getting into the afterlife. Washington Irving tells us the story of Tom Walker in a humorous way. Irving does this to display a message to his readers.
Hubris is defined as excessive, personal pride. As Oedipus is about to learn the devastating truth of his origin and destiny, the chorus observes “Audacity sires the tyrant…” Creon accuses Oedipus of being irrational, and for allowing his pride to lead him into a journey that will affect his life forever. The greeks held reason to be the greatest gift of man, therefore a tyrant’s actions should be governed by reason. Hubris was not the essential cause of Oedipus downfall because of Oedipus’ prophecy, and Religious Incest. Hubris was not the essential cause of Oedipus downfall because of Oedipus’ prophecy.
Themes such as sin, pain, and death are often included in gothic stories. In “Tom Walker,” these themes are clearly evident. Once again, the gothic nature of the story and death as a theme is introduced from the initial onset of the story with the description of Kidd’s execution. The story also references multiple impending deaths, which also helps to create a sense of tension and suspense for the reader. This is noted when Tom is in the swamp with the Devil, who sits atop a tree that represents the fate of the prominent citizen inscribed upon it. It is stated on page
The evil is shown, by the devil in how he is premeditating the murder of a "Deacon Peabody". Walker contemplates this meeting with the devil, and recognizes that evil is wealth is the first priority for him. Tom Walker's wife, was filled with cupidity and wanted to acquire the gold that the devil had promised. Walker hadn't obliged to his wife, and due to his wife's acute cupidity set out on her own journey to acquire that gold. She had been killed because of her greed, and lack of morals for self-prosperity, which resulted in her death.
Washington Irving’s “The Devil and Tom Walker” includes great examples of Romanticism, such as symbols in nature having links to the supernatural, the importance of the inner nature, and the emphasis of the individual. In the story, Tom Walker is a selfish man who cares more about money than he does about anyone else, including his wife. One day, while he is walking through the woods, Tom Walker comes across the Devil, who makes a deal with him to exchange his soul for the treasure that is buried in those woods. Tom declines and returns back to his wife and tells her that he has passed on an opportunity that could bring them lots of money. Tom’s wife, outraged by his actions, decides to strike a deal of her own with the Devil and after several attempts, she never returns from the woods. The next time Tom goes to the woods he finds that his wife had been killed by the Devil. He finally agrees to make the deal with him, now that Tom doesn’t have to share anything with his wife. Tom ignores the Devil’s suggestion of becoming a slave-trader and becomes a moneylender instead. He gets wea...
In the Devil and Tom Walker Tom’s wife has a temper, loud mouth and she was strong . His face sometimes showed signs that their fighting may have been more than words. She would hide things from Tom. They did not have a very good marriage. Again Irving portrayed the wife as loud and nagging.
"It's the devils sure enough. Three of 'em! Lordy, Tom, we're goners! Can you pray?" Tom Sawyer loves to adventure. In the Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Tom the main character witnesses a murder with his best friend Huck. That changes the whole story and in the end the two boys find the murderer dead, his hidden treasure and become rich. Tom’s characterization traits prove that he has a true boyhood that others would admire.