Examples Of Allegory In The Devil And Tom Walker

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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 …show more content…

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

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