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Symbolism in the devil and tom walker
Symbolism in the devil and tom walker
The devil and tom walker story elements
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Tom Walker and Jabez Stone “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving and “The Devil and Daniel Webster” by Stephen Vincent Benet are short stories that both have their own unique events about how the characters made deals with the devil. They also have different actions for the turning point in the story. The Character of Tom Walker and Jabes Stone both have unique lives and personalities which I think would brings a great topic to compare and contrast about. Tom and Jabez have different settings but then comes together to create similar events and outcomes. 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 …show more content…
First of all, both Tom Walker and Jabes Stone are not wealthy people and they are not the happiest in the world. In frustration, they both decided to deal with the devil and sold their soul to the devil. Both Tom and Jabes got what they wanted but only for a temporary time. On the contrary, the turning points to both the stories are a little different from one another because Tom loses to the devil and the devil took him away. On the other hand, Jabes Won with the help of the lawyer named Daniel Webster against his opponent and the devil was banished also to never come near Jabez and his family ever again. Furthermore, “The Devil and Tom Walker” illustrate that the devil is dark-skinned, red eyes, red sash and with an axe, while “The Devil and Daniel Webster”, the devil actually looked decent , with nice suit and gentlemen. In conclusion, Tom and Jabez are two different people but their stories creates similar themes. Those are the unique ways of how they relate to each other including how they dealt with the two
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.
Choose a novel or short story in which a conflict between two of the main characters is central to the story.
I must say that Tom Walker truly deserves what happened to him. In Tom’s mind he believed happiness in life can only come by money and wealth. During this time, life was not doing too well for Tom, in any case, he does deserve his fate. I truly believe he deserved what happened to him because Tom had made an agreement with the devil for some wealth in return. Also while making the arrangement the DEVIL had agreed to give him money "only on certain conditions" (Irving 325). To protect himself from all the consequences of the devil, Tom carries a bible around him at all times as a shield from the devil. Making an arrangement with the devil was the most awful choice Tom had made. In addition, selling your soul to the devil will make you have nothing
Washington Irving the author of the tale “The Devil and Tom Walker” uses stories from literatures past, to make a compelling tale, The Devil and Tom walker represents the importance of processing morals and the problems associated when virtue fails to exist. He also creates the right tone for the story and gives details throughout the story, so the readers figure out the topic of the story and how it will change their perspective on the temptation of greed. “Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.”-Erich Fromm. He describes each character in a way that you can assume who they are, their character, and the decisions that they might make throughout the story. However, he provides a background for each character to understand their choses and their ultimate demise.
There have been numerous stories, tunes, movies, and craft depicting the exemplary story of man vs. the fallen angel. The old German legend of "Faust," which is accepted to be the primary impact in Washington Irving's "The Devil and Tom Walker", was utilized as a lesson to alarm individuals from wrongdoing. On the other hand, Washington utilized the general subject of bartering with the villain for a lavishly typical and captivating story with inconceivable detail and style of prominent gothic fiction in Europe, where he inhabited the time it was composed. Irving's dull unmistakable style and three naughty characters passed on the ethical message of Faust all around by utilizing typical talk and dark parody.
The difference in the story of ‘’The Devil & Tom Walker’’ is that Tom had to make the deal with the devil. In the end he ended up becoming wealthy.
The story I had read was the Devil and Daniel Webster it was written by Stephen Vincent Ben’et. This story is a lot alike most of his other stories discussing what it means to be an American. Also this story is one of his most famous stories it combines folk-lore and history also it has been made into a play and so to be coming out a movie.
A man who was desperate and in need of money, while the other man was just foolish and greedy, but both men made bad decisions and sold their soul to the devil. Tom Walker, the main character of the short story The Devil And Tom Walker, Tom was a very greedy and selfish man who didn’t share his money, and just like Tom, his wife was greedy and selfish. Tom and his wife would argue and fight constantly and even physically and it seemed as if they didn’t care for another. The other character was Jabez Stone, in the movie The Devil and Daniel Webster, Jabez was a very kind and poor, humble man, who unfortunately, wasn’t very lucky because if he planted something he would get borers. But, unlike Tom and his wife, Jabez and his wife Mary, were
“The Minister’s Black Veil” and “The Devil and Tom Walker” are based in the Puritan time. Both stories are in third person omniscient. They both show the building up and destruction of characters. The characters change the other characters in the story opinion on life once they are gone. In “The Minster’s Black Veil”, Mr. Hooper adds the veil to show people their sins and he starts to think of them differently the story reads, “His converts always regarded him with a dread peculiar to themselves, affirming, though figuratively, that before he brought them to celestial light, they had been with him behind the black veil.” (Hawthorne 282). But in “The Devil and Tom Walker” he did not change his appearance but changed his way of life and people changed their views on him the story reads, "
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
Irving, Washington. “The Devil and Tom Walker”. Elements of Literature: Fifth Course. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2008. 175-185. Print.
Both stories focus on the lesson to never "sell your soul" for riches because in the end it will all come back to you. In "The Devil and Tom Walker," Tom wants nothing more than riches and will do anything to get it. "He had a wife as miserly as himself: they were so miserly that they even conspired to cheat each other." Tom sells his soul to the devil as an exchange for wealth but in the end, the devil comes for him and he dies a miserable death. In Stephen Benet's fictional story "The Devil and Daniel Webster," Jabez Stone is a farmer who is in desperate need of money, so he sells his soul to the devil who, just like in "The Devil and Tom Walker," later comes back to try to get him. In Part 3 of Stephen Benet's "The Devil and Daniel Webster," the devil who has come to take Jabez says: "And now, said the stranger, smiling and showing his teeth, I shall call upon you, as a law-abiding citizen, to assist me in taking possession of my property." Another similarity the stories share is the same antagonist. In both stories, the character who plays the antagonist is the devil. It is the devil, who at the beginning helps the main characters of the two stories in getting what they wished for but later reveals himself as the enemy by taking/trying to take their souls
Tom Walker, the main character, stumbles upon the Devil one day when taking a short cut on the way home from work. The devil temps Tom to make a deal with him that will make Tom rich. Tom refuses and when he tells his wife she gets mad. The wife goes looking for the devil and never returns. After worrying about his wife’s disappearance, Tom sets out to find her. He ends up finding her organs and discovers that the devil had killed her. Tom wanted to thank the devil for getting rid of his nasty wife, which leads Tom to make a very dangerous deal. The Devil made a deal that if Tom worked as an unfair usurers he could use the devil’s money for whatever he wanted; Tom would just have to give it all back in the end. Tom is very stingy with his money. He buys a house with a very nice house, that looks magnificent on the outside but has an unfurnished inside. Eventually, Tom realize his mistake of making a deal with the devil and tries to cheat the devil. He starts going to church, praying loudly, and always carrying a bible. However, one day when he tried to close a mortgage he lies about not working with the Devil. That is the moment when the Devil decides to take Tom back. After the Devil takes Tom, all of Tom’s belongings, mysteriously, turns to
The story is based on the fact that Tom Walker meets The Devil as stated, “Tom lifted up his eyes, and beheld a great black man seated directly opposite him” (292), he then proceeds to make a deal with The Devil, which results in Tom becoming greedy. In addition, the presence of the hidden treasure that Tom makes a deal with The Devil for, is supernatural since it relates to The Devil. It is mentioned in the third sentence as stated, “Under one of these gigantic trees, according to old stories, there was a great amount of treasure buried by Kidd the pirate” (290). Both of which these supernatural figures and ideas are characteristics of American
The Devil and Tom Walker aims to show how greed makes people willing to do anything to gain wealth. Irving wants the readers to learn from Tom Walker’s mistakes, he says “let all gripping money-brokers lay this story to heart” (Irving, Washington). He wants the readers to think of Tom and what happened to him. He tries to warn the readers from greed in the ending of the story, in the end Tom and all of his money was gone, nothing was left but his ghost haunting his house. Which shows how great evil occurs as result of people's greed. Irving illustrates to the readers the consequences of man's desire for material wealth. He shows that Money is the number one goal for most people in society. And he tries to show that integrity is more important than money. “Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction”, this shows how greed affects people and put evil into their minds. In the ending Irving promotes contentment, he wants the readers to be content with what they have. He wants people to think of Tom Walker and how he ended up, to learn from his mistakes and avoid