The Devil And Tom Walker Essay

Discussions of the devil and hellfire generally have a negative connotation in our society. Because of this, a story entitled “The Devil and Tom Walker” would conjure some scary images in the head of the reader. However, Washington Irving uses his tone to make this story more pleasant, and even humorous. Irving makes Tom Walker’s deal with the “black man” less horrific by approaching eerie locations with ease, exaggerating certain traits of the historical period written about, and personifying his characters in an ironic manner. Washington Irving normalizes certain spooky locations in his story. He references the dark woods at night time, which at first gives the reader an uneasy feeling, but Tom enters the forest confidently, for he lacks

Tom’s wife fights with her husband tooth and nail over anything she lays eyes on, but Irving uses this trait to humor’s advantage by making the wife’s death comical. The author mentions that a single man walks by the Walker house and feels gratitude for his solitariness after hearing arguments between the main character and his wife. His arrogance also adds to the levity of the narrative. Because of his conceit, he fears nothing, not even the devil. Tom Walker’s casual approach to the literal embodiment of evil allows for the reader’s assurance while reading Tom and the devil’s interactions. As well as this, Irving makes the Walker’s horses beg for an end their misery to ridicule his topic. Irving satirizes objects and attributes that often have scary connotations to make “The Devil and Tom Walker” a mildly humorous tale by allowing his character to enter unnerving locations with conviction, making light of horrific events and notions in history, and approaching negative character traits with a sarcastic tone. Without this methodology, Tom’s encounter with the devil would entrench readers in trepidation, making it a less enjoyable read. This writer uses his talent to make the damnation of a soul a gratifying experience to