The Devil And Tom Walker The Theme Of Greed

How do the authors implicitly porter the theme of greed in each story?

Author’s Sylvia Warner and Washington Irving convey the striking theme in “The Phoenix” and ‘The Devil and Tom Walker” grasping the reader's attention while portraying greed throughout the pieces. Warner and Irving convey the same theme, but their pieces differentiate due to the deeper meaning hidden underneath the text. The authors deliver the message that while greed causes pain in others, consequently, the person who is most harmed in the end is the individual themselves. The theme of greed, portrayed through the corruption of the mind, is present in both of these pieces. The flesh-eating inhumanity that developed within character’s hearts creates the theme of greed

while grabbing the reader's attention.
Author Sylvia Warner uses the antagonist Poldero, in “The Phoenix” to display the theme.

Warner conveys the greed that suffocates Poldero as he feeds his obsession for money and fame. Poldero yearned for his selfish desires and became fixated by them. The author uses Poldero’s greed to convey the aftermath and destruction of an individual and others around them due to their own false morals. Warner puts a deeper meaning behind Poldero’s actions and portrays the inhumane measures a person will go to achieve the desires of the flesh. “He stationed himself in front of the cage to jeer at the bird and abuse it.” Warner shows the inhumanity in the narration leading to the demise of the mythological bird. “ It’s allowance of food was halved and halved again.” Warner describes the aftermath of greed, and the punishment that concludes it. Warner used the phoenix’s death and reincarnation as revenge for the abuse the bird endured. The author conveys the corruption that infected Poldero from the inside, but the phoenix's reincarnation disintegrated him from the outside, killing him. “At that moment the phoenix and pyre bursted into flames. In a minute or two everything was burned to ashes… including Mr. Poldero, perished in the blaze.” The author uses a character in this plot to symbolize the deeper meaning of greed and the consequences of

it.
Author Washington Irving conveys the theme in another aspect while adding spiritual and moral conflicts in the narration. The author uses the character Tom to symbolize greed in “The Devil and Tom Walker”. The author created Tom’s character lacking morals and righteous values in the beginning of the narrative. Irving conveys the temptation of the flesh, can lead to conflict and consequences in the future. Tom valued possessions and his temptations led him to greed which was followed by the corruption of his mind and actions. Tom sold his soul to the devil, giving into the temptations of wealth and prosperity. “So they shook hands and struck a bargain.” Irving uses Tom to portray the spiritual warfare between the flesh and a person’s morals. Irving ties in inhumanity as a characteristic of Tom which overpowers his heart and his actions. The author uses Tom to symbolize an individual while describing the greed, and the temptations' humanity faces every day.
In conclusion authors Sylvia Warner and Washington Irving convey the theme of greed, but display the consequences of it in their pieces. Although their plots and characters differentiate, both authors seamlessly created narrations symbolizing a deeper meaning and effect in the world. Both Warner and Irving’s pieces captivate the readers and grasped their attention with the character’s greed and desperation for wealth and prosperity. Both authors convey the inhumanity of greed and strikingly display the consequences of it. Irving and Warner create the inhumane theme, but effortlessly deliver the message greed causes pain in others, but leads to the person's demise.