Compare And Contrast Young Goodman Brown And The Devil And Tom Walker

Washington Irving’s “The Devil and Tom Walker” illustrates how an individual’s corruption results from their ability to resist temptation, the virtue to act generously, and the self-discipline to perform genuinely. Temptation, symbolized by the Devil and characterized by desperation in this prose, is that catalyst that forces Tom’s proverbial ball to roll. First and foremost, Tom chooses a shortcut home out of ease and lack of time that “like most shortcuts... was an ill-chosen route (280);” along his path of “smothering mud (280)” and “half-drowned, half-rotting [hemlocks and pines] (280)” –likely representative of the comeuppances of giving into temptations–Tom confronts the Devil for the first time and eventually ends up selling his soul

Although the stories’ main components mirror each other, they still differentiate. For example, in “The Devil and Tom Walker,” everyone believes Tom has made a deal with the devil, whereas in “Young Goodman Brown,” the author questions the actuality

In “The Devil and Tom Walker” they use literary archetypes that represents universal patterns of human behavior or commonly-held beliefs. This story takes place in 1727 in Boston Massachusetts. There are three main characters who are very similar but a little different. Tom Walker is small, greedy, overly confident, and miserly. Tom Walker’s wife Mrs. Walker is selfish, verbally abusive towards Tom, and she is known as a termagant because she nags and complains all of the time. Last but not least old scratch has many other names that have been given to him by his personality, but he is the devil.

Both authors describe the devil similarly. In the two stories, the devil craftily disguises himself as a nondescript individual, increasing the likeliness of a passerby plunging into treacherous conversation with him. Despite his efforts, the devil fails to hide some subtle clues to his identity. In “Young Goodman Brown,” “the only thing about him that could be fixed upon as remarkable was his staff, which bore the likeness of a great black snake, so curiously wrought that it might almost be seen to twist and wiggle itself like a living serpent,” (Hawthorne 8-9). Likewise, in “The Devil and Tom Walker,” the man’s appearance indicates the devil since “his face was neither black nor copper-color, but swarthy, and dingy and begrimed with soot, as if he had been accustomed to toil among fires and forges,” (Irving 4). Continually, the two stories refer to the devil as a certain color: grey in “Young Goodman Brown,” and black in “The Devil and Tom Walker.” Often, people associate these mournful colors with sin and corruption, which aptly describe the devil and his work.

In conclusion, Tom Walker is a man known as miserly, brave, parsimony. Tom Walker character describes him as a hypocrite man with a clapper clawing wife. He shows his actual personality by following the footsteps of the devil. Furthermore, Tom is a man who greed for something that is not great. ‘’ The Devil and Tom Walker’’ by Washington Irving proves what kind of unfaithful man he is from the challenges and obstacles that was face. This story mainly tells about many actions that brought forces upon

In this story we can see many interesting facts about the main character Tom Walker such as his relations with other characters and his own beliefs. In the story we can see how Tom doesn’t accept the deal with the Devil at first, but when his wife dies in hands of the Devil, Tom Walker now accepts to do the deal; however he doesn’t accept because he feels like he has lost everything but because now his wife can’t take away any part of the treasure and now he will do the things he wants for his own good and not to please

In the story “The Devil and Tom Walker”, Tom Walker is secluded from others in his town. The quote in the book, “They lived in a forlorn-looking house that stood alone and had an air of starvation” shows that Tom Walker was a man who most likely did wrong and did not want to get criticized for his actions. The town they lived in was a very religious town that had strict rules and they would have nothing to do with the

“The Devil and Tom Walker” was written by Washington Irving. Washington was a very famous American author. Washington Irving was born in New York on April 3, 1783. In his childhood he only went through a basic education. During this time, he showed interest in reading and writing (Washington). In 1815, Irving moved to London to work for his family’s business. But, the family business closed due to failure. After that

In the two stories Goodman Brown and The Man in the Black Suit, the writer's Nathaniel Hawthorne and Stephen King portray the features of appearance, language, and behavior about the devils that occur. These features occur throughout the stories to give evidence and detail about characterization and how he tries and pursues the people to be a servant of him. The writers also evoke the effect of evil on innocence. The two stories show the two different outcomes of what path Brown and Gary choose to go down upon. The presence of evil on the innocent can be an experience of being a servant for him or not believing him and still find the good in everyday.

As people grow up, it is made apparent to them that the Devil is an evil and rather a clever person. The greatest example of the devil in action is when the devil tempts Jesus. As most know, the devil fails to get Jesus to do evil. Jesus is both human and divine while the main character of The Devil and Tom Walker, Tom Walker, is a “meager, miserly fellow”. Unfortunately, Tom Walker is not Jesus so the reader must focus in on Washington Irving’s The Devil and Tom Walker to see just exactly how and when the Devil won his game. Irving portrays to the reader that the devil cannot be beaten at his own game through setting, characters, and plot. As people have seen in sports, the setting of a game (where, when, weather, etc.) can have a big impact on the game. The same goes for The Devil and Tom Walker.

In the story, “The Devil and Tom Walker,” there is a humorous way of looking at serious topics. Washington Irving shows his thoughts on these topics through the characters in this story. He attacks ways of living and social ideas that he thinks people should live without. In this story, Irving criticizes violence, greed, and false piety.

In both stories the similarity made between the two works was in the beginning, Tom Walker and Goodman Brown both doubted the Devil’s intuition. In the work of Young Goodman Brown, states, “Having kept covenant by meeting thee here, it is my purpose now to return whence I came. I have scruples touching the matter thou wot’st of”(Hawthorne). Goodman Brown happens to be doubting the Devil and is contemplating on whether he should turn around and go home. In The Devil and Tom Walker, Irving states that “Tom never disclosed them publicly. They must have been very hard, for the required time to think of them, and he was not a man to stick at trifles when money was in view” (Irving 115). Corresponding with Young Goodman Brown, Tom Walker had to think about the negotiation, and what was being offered. However, even though both works portray similarities within their works, they ended up with different results. Tom Walker shows the difference by expressing his thoughts on the offer, “What proof have I that all you have been telling me is true?” said Tom. “There’s my signature.” said the black man, pressing his fingers to Tom’s forehead” (Irving 115) Tom Walker is considering on taking the deal

Nathaniel Hawthorne and Washington Irving are two of the most prolific and successful writers of their era. Hawthorne’s, “Young Goodman Brown” is a story about a man, Goodman Brown who happens to set out on a trip for an evil purpose. On the way he meets a man who offers him his staff, saying that it might help him walk faster, but Goodman Brown refuses and wishes to return back to his village for the sake of his wife, Faith. On the other hand, Irving’s, “The Devil and Tom Walker” is about an individual who lets his greed and selfishness take charge of him. Tom Walker, a greedy man, attempts to make a deal with a devil. Tom seeks wealth and in return the devil asks for his soul. In both stories, the authors express their feelings and views about staying away from indulgence and sin. In spite of all the difference among Hawthorne’s, “Young Goodman Brown” and Irving’s, “The Devil and Tom Walker,” they share salient similarities such as setting, symbolism, and author’s purpose.

In "The Devil and Tom Walker", the story is seen of a stingy man and his nagging wife who "...were so miserly that they even conspired to cheat each other" (128). In the story, one sees a man make a deal with the devil, who

The story of ?Young Goodman Brown? exemplifies the struggle of one man?s internal conflict of good and evil. The main character, Goodman Brown, leaves Salem village and his wife, Faith, to travel into the depths of the dark forest. The Young Goodman Brown will be aged with the knowledge he faces in this one night. Brown keeps his appointment with the devil in the forest, and he must choose to go back to his ?faith,? or explore the evils that the devil has to offer. Next, Brown is confronted with the virtuous people who live in his community, who will be attending the witch?s meeting with the devil. He has to decide if he will follow them along this