The Devil And Tom Walker Gothic Elements

Comparison of Gothic Literature Elements in Different Texts Gothic Elements are vital to the foundation and development of Gothic Literature. These element provide a sense of realness and depth to a story. These Elements include death, entrapment, and fascination with the past. Furthermore, in the story “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving, Tom makes a greedy and impulsive deal with the Devil to sell his soul and have the Devil place “[his] signature…on [Tom’s] forehead” (Irving 326), in exchange for wealth. The repercussions of this agreement were detrimental to Tom, causing him to be forever entrapped under the Devil’s control and power. In addition, in the novel Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ranson Riggs, the peculiar children “[could] not leave…[or] linger [in the present world]…because in a short time they would grow old and die” (Riggs 210). Even

In the “Feather Pillow” by Horacio Quiroga, Alicia died by strange means that no one understood. It was later discovered that Alicia was killed by a parasite living in her pillow. The parasite “night after night, ever since Alicia had taken to her bed, it had stealthily applied its mouth… to her temples, sucking gout her blood” (Quiroga 2) and slowly killing her. Within “…five days, in five nights, it had emptied Alicia” (Quiroga 2). In Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Jacob’s Grandpa, Abe Portman, was mysteriously killed by questionable means as well. This parallels the mysterious death of Alicia until the case was solved. People in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children believed that Grandpa Portman was killed by rabid dogs, but he was actually killed by a “Hollowgast” (Riggs 258). When he was killed, Grandpa Portman was […spent and fading… [and] then seemed to disappear into himself” (Riggs 37). Both characters ended up dying and being killed by strange monsters no one