"The Devil and Tom Walker"
By: Washington Irving
published in 1824
By: Washington Irving
published in 1824
SUMMARY
The story starts off with a man name Tom Walker who is very greedy. He lives with his wife who is also
greedy and can be very abusive at times. One day Tom Walker decided to take a
short cut through a dark swamp to get home, on the way through the swamp he
crossed an old run down Indian Fort. Here he met a man some people call The Wild Huntsman, Black Miner, and
others call him the Devil.
The two men started talking and getting to know each other a little better, that’s when the Devil told Tom
about the run down trees and why they had all the people’s names on them. The
Devil said that these people made deals with him and the trees look so rotten
because the people were so corrupted and greedy inside themselves. That’s when
the Devil ask Tom if he wanted to strike a deal with him too, Tom would get
Kidd’s Pirate treasure and all he had to do was do a little favor for the
Devil. Tom decided not to take the deal and he headed home leaving the Devil
sitting there. When Tom got home his wife told him that Absalom Crowninshield
had died and he remember the name on one of the trees that was cut down, so Tom
decided to tell his wife about the deal.
Afterwards she left to find the Devil herself but the Devil refused, the next day she went
to find him again but this time with the silver from the house, no one saw her
again. Tom went to look for the silver, he didn’t really care what happened to
his wife, he found his wife’s heart and liver stuck up in a tree, Tom was so
happy with glee he went to look for the Devil and tell him thank you. When they
met up Tom decided to rethink the deal and decided to take it, the new agreement
is that Tom will get the treasure if he opens a broker house (he gives people
loans). The broker house became a hit he gave out so much money to people who
had dreams that he became richer, and he also became greedier.
As time went on Tom decided to outsmart the Devil and he became a church goer, he would carry a bible with
him everywhere and he would even have one on his desk at work, and he was going
crazy, he barred his horse upside down. On a stormy day Tom was with a client
who wanted to have is loan extended but Tom said no, all of a sudden there was a
loud knock, when Tom opened the door it was the Devil, he said it was time for
Tom to leave but Tom refused. The devil was a step ahead of him and grabbed Tom
and put him on the back of a horse. No ever saw him again.
greedy and can be very abusive at times. One day Tom Walker decided to take a
short cut through a dark swamp to get home, on the way through the swamp he
crossed an old run down Indian Fort. Here he met a man some people call The Wild Huntsman, Black Miner, and
others call him the Devil.
The two men started talking and getting to know each other a little better, that’s when the Devil told Tom
about the run down trees and why they had all the people’s names on them. The
Devil said that these people made deals with him and the trees look so rotten
because the people were so corrupted and greedy inside themselves. That’s when
the Devil ask Tom if he wanted to strike a deal with him too, Tom would get
Kidd’s Pirate treasure and all he had to do was do a little favor for the
Devil. Tom decided not to take the deal and he headed home leaving the Devil
sitting there. When Tom got home his wife told him that Absalom Crowninshield
had died and he remember the name on one of the trees that was cut down, so Tom
decided to tell his wife about the deal.
Afterwards she left to find the Devil herself but the Devil refused, the next day she went
to find him again but this time with the silver from the house, no one saw her
again. Tom went to look for the silver, he didn’t really care what happened to
his wife, he found his wife’s heart and liver stuck up in a tree, Tom was so
happy with glee he went to look for the Devil and tell him thank you. When they
met up Tom decided to rethink the deal and decided to take it, the new agreement
is that Tom will get the treasure if he opens a broker house (he gives people
loans). The broker house became a hit he gave out so much money to people who
had dreams that he became richer, and he also became greedier.
As time went on Tom decided to outsmart the Devil and he became a church goer, he would carry a bible with
him everywhere and he would even have one on his desk at work, and he was going
crazy, he barred his horse upside down. On a stormy day Tom was with a client
who wanted to have is loan extended but Tom said no, all of a sudden there was a
loud knock, when Tom opened the door it was the Devil, he said it was time for
Tom to leave but Tom refused. The devil was a step ahead of him and grabbed Tom
and put him on the back of a horse. No ever saw him again.
ANALYSIS
The story “The devil and Tom Walker” shows the theme greed is evil by talking about Tom personality, by
describing what the trees represent, and also by showing what greed can do to you as a person. In the story you get to know the character Tom Walker, when the author describes him he is unhappy, he has some money, and you also realize that he is a greed man who doesn’t care about anything other than saving money. The author describes Tom’s house as run down, not taken care of but he also describes his horse saying “A miserable horse, whose ribs were as articulate as the bars of a gridiron….” This just means the horse never ate anything other than moss because Tom was so cheap and greedy. Another reason Tom is greed is because he never cared about his wife when she left with the silver to find the Devil he just cared about what will happen to the silver. Another character that was greedy was Tom’s wife, when she found out about the deal and how it would make them rich she didn’t care about
the consequences she just wanted the money, and now she is dead because of her greed.
This story is theme is also shown thought the trees. In the story you learned that all the trees in swamp
had names of the people that had struck a deal with the devil for the treasure. The author describes
these trees as” behind one of the great trees, fair and flourished without, but rotten at the core…” what the author is saying is that the trees may look
amazing but they are dying inside. The trees represent the men and how they amazing with the money, but since they were so greedy and rude to people they became rotten inside.
Finally the story shows the theme by describing how the character act and what happens to them at the end of
the story. In the story we learn about the trees and how the people that have a name on them are greedy and are rotten in side which means the people die
because they were mean and use their money do the mean things. We learn that Tom becomes one of these people by using the money that he got from the devil to open a broke house and making the loans so expensive that people would have to sell their houses to just pay him off. He said to one of the customers that “charity begins at home … I must take care of myself in these hard times.” This seem to show the theme because Tom had a lot of money and could take care of himself while this man could pay the loan and his family was starving and had
no money, this is also the scene were the devil comes and gets Tom.
The theme greed is evil was shown though out the entire story though out Tom and his wife, it was also symbolize though the trees, and finally it was show by the outcomes of the character. Tom and his wife were so greedy they died trying to get money from people. The tress represented the people that became greedy and how it changed them to become mean. Then finally it was shown at the end of the story when Tom got caught by the Devil and all is possessions got burnt to the ground.
describing what the trees represent, and also by showing what greed can do to you as a person. In the story you get to know the character Tom Walker, when the author describes him he is unhappy, he has some money, and you also realize that he is a greed man who doesn’t care about anything other than saving money. The author describes Tom’s house as run down, not taken care of but he also describes his horse saying “A miserable horse, whose ribs were as articulate as the bars of a gridiron….” This just means the horse never ate anything other than moss because Tom was so cheap and greedy. Another reason Tom is greed is because he never cared about his wife when she left with the silver to find the Devil he just cared about what will happen to the silver. Another character that was greedy was Tom’s wife, when she found out about the deal and how it would make them rich she didn’t care about
the consequences she just wanted the money, and now she is dead because of her greed.
This story is theme is also shown thought the trees. In the story you learned that all the trees in swamp
had names of the people that had struck a deal with the devil for the treasure. The author describes
these trees as” behind one of the great trees, fair and flourished without, but rotten at the core…” what the author is saying is that the trees may look
amazing but they are dying inside. The trees represent the men and how they amazing with the money, but since they were so greedy and rude to people they became rotten inside.
Finally the story shows the theme by describing how the character act and what happens to them at the end of
the story. In the story we learn about the trees and how the people that have a name on them are greedy and are rotten in side which means the people die
because they were mean and use their money do the mean things. We learn that Tom becomes one of these people by using the money that he got from the devil to open a broke house and making the loans so expensive that people would have to sell their houses to just pay him off. He said to one of the customers that “charity begins at home … I must take care of myself in these hard times.” This seem to show the theme because Tom had a lot of money and could take care of himself while this man could pay the loan and his family was starving and had
no money, this is also the scene were the devil comes and gets Tom.
The theme greed is evil was shown though out the entire story though out Tom and his wife, it was also symbolize though the trees, and finally it was show by the outcomes of the character. Tom and his wife were so greedy they died trying to get money from people. The tress represented the people that became greedy and how it changed them to become mean. Then finally it was shown at the end of the story when Tom got caught by the Devil and all is possessions got burnt to the ground.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author of this short story was Washington Irving. He was born
on April 13, 1783 in New York and he later died in Tarrytown on November 28,
1859. He got his name after the first president of the United States which was
George Washington. Washington had an exciting life, it started out with him
being home schooled then he went to law school and took the bar in 1806 but he
barely passed it so he decided not to become a layer. Washington traveled a lot
during his life going to Europe to open a store with his brother; he then went
to France and even lived in Spain. Some jobs that he held was being a writer,
worked for the military, and he was the U.S Ambassador in 1842 to 1845. Some
other works that Washington wrote were The Legend of Sleepy Hallow, Rip Van
Winkle, etc.
Washington wrote the story The Devil and Tom Walker in 1824. He wrote it based on Puritan influence and life style. The Puritans were a Christian society that believed in the Bible and the Bible only. For example if the Bible said that e if you go into the woods then you worked for the devil then they would believe that. The society started in the late 16th century and ended in the 17th century. They originated in England but soon left because they thought they were the only true believers and worshipers of the bible. The thing that this society is most known for is for the Salem Witch trials which were these trails that killed thousands of people because someone called them a witch.
We can tell that this story is based on these Puritan beliefs because Washington talks about how its bad to sell you sole to the devil. An example of this is when Tom’s wife disappeared because she sold her self to the Devil just for some treasure that she won’t even be able to spend. Another example of this statement is when the devil talks about the trees and how he owns then and cuts them for fire wood. In the society this person would be a
devil worshiper and Tom knew he was that’s why he went to church and tries to get rid of the sin while still having the money.
on April 13, 1783 in New York and he later died in Tarrytown on November 28,
1859. He got his name after the first president of the United States which was
George Washington. Washington had an exciting life, it started out with him
being home schooled then he went to law school and took the bar in 1806 but he
barely passed it so he decided not to become a layer. Washington traveled a lot
during his life going to Europe to open a store with his brother; he then went
to France and even lived in Spain. Some jobs that he held was being a writer,
worked for the military, and he was the U.S Ambassador in 1842 to 1845. Some
other works that Washington wrote were The Legend of Sleepy Hallow, Rip Van
Winkle, etc.
Washington wrote the story The Devil and Tom Walker in 1824. He wrote it based on Puritan influence and life style. The Puritans were a Christian society that believed in the Bible and the Bible only. For example if the Bible said that e if you go into the woods then you worked for the devil then they would believe that. The society started in the late 16th century and ended in the 17th century. They originated in England but soon left because they thought they were the only true believers and worshipers of the bible. The thing that this society is most known for is for the Salem Witch trials which were these trails that killed thousands of people because someone called them a witch.
We can tell that this story is based on these Puritan beliefs because Washington talks about how its bad to sell you sole to the devil. An example of this is when Tom’s wife disappeared because she sold her self to the Devil just for some treasure that she won’t even be able to spend. Another example of this statement is when the devil talks about the trees and how he owns then and cuts them for fire wood. In the society this person would be a
devil worshiper and Tom knew he was that’s why he went to church and tries to get rid of the sin while still having the money.
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Author image from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Washington_Irving_at_22.jpg/829px-Washington_Irving_at_22.jpg
Author image from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Washington_Irving_at_22.jpg/829px-Washington_Irving_at_22.jpg