Essay Comparing The Devil And Tom Walker And Rip Van Winkle

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

Both authors describe the devil similarly. In the two stories, the devil craftily disguises himself so that he appears to be a

Both authors describe the devil similarly. When first encountered, they portray him described as a mostly normal person, with only a subtle clue to his

The Devil and Tom Walker is a short story written by Washington Irving. The story is about a legend of a pirates treasure hidden in a swamp and how a miserly man named Tom Walker finds it on his way home through a swamp. When Tom is in the swamp a dark tall man, Old Scratch, who Tom recognizes as the Devil, offers Tom a deal for the treasure. Tom goes home and tells his wife about the deal the Devil gave him, her greedy made her to take all their valuable possessions and go bargain with the Devil for the treasure. When she didn’t return Tom Walker decided to go look for his wife. When Tom was looking for her, he found her apron, liver, and her heart tied up to a tree. After seeing this Tom decided to make the deal with the Devil. The Devil tells Tom that he must do services to the devil for the treasure. He first tells Tom to become a slaver trader; however Tom refuses to become one. Finally the Devil tells Tom to become a corrupted money-loaner, which he agrees to, so he moves to Boston and becomes a moneylender. While at Boston Tom regrets doing the deal with the Devil and tries going to zealous church in a hope to redeem his soul for what has he done; however it was too late for Tom Walker. One afternoon while Tom’s victims were begging him for a delay, Tom lost his patience and his pity and yelled “The Devil take me… if I have made a farthing!" (Irving, The Devil and Tom Walker). Immediately after this statement Tom hears three knocks on his door and the Devil comes for Tom and rides away with him on his horse. The next day Tom’s house and all his belongings are burnt down, and Tom is never seen ever again.

Tom Walker lived in Puritan, New England, a place that is very religious and criticizes wrong doings. Tom Walker worked for the devil, which in Puritan, New England is against their religion. If the people in the town found out that Tom worked for the devil they would have him killed or sent away. Because of these reasons and because the people of the town are quick to judge, Tom worked very secluded. So, in The Devil and Tom Walker, Washington Irving uses detail to portray that Tom is not who others make him out to be, reveal that Tom is gullible, and to convey that Tom worked for the Devil.

“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

The stories we read in class had a lot of distinct similarities in each story. One similarity I saw was; all the stories introduced their settings in the beginning. Also, all the stories explain some truths about the world we live in. For example, in The Lottery, this story shows the danger of blindly following traditions of the community was so used to playing the lottery, that it has become a normal habit for them not realizing the damage this “lottery” is causing them and the people who has to lose their life for it. Another example, in The Lottery, is when Mrs. Delacroix turned against her good friend Tessie by picking up the largest stone to kill her which shows that there are certain friends you may have and when certain situations happens, their true colors will show and they may not have been a true friend to begin with. Also, in Young Goodman Brown, along his spiritual journey he encountered people he knew already, but then those people started to act the total opposite of what Goodman thought of his friends. This shows that in life, not everything is what it seems, no matter how you see it. Another example is

These two short stories contain various elements of Gothic literature, which focuses on horror and terror. Neighbors said “They seemed to be screams of some person in great agony -- were loud and drawn out not short and quick”(Poe). Gothic Literature can sometimes contain a damsel in distress which is relevant because Mademoiselle L’Espanaye or her mother Madame L’Espanaye bellow out for help as they are being murdered. By one of the bellowing loud enough it alerts their neighbors that something is occurring and that they need help, but the help does not come fast enough. In “The Devil and Tom Walker” this

Similarities and differences are present between nearly anything. For instance, two books can be compared in regards to their themes. Likewise, multiple people can be contrasted in regards to their personality. Similarities and differences can be good and bad and they can also help one to clearly see which of the subjects that are being compared are better than the other. Another example of where two subjects can be compared is in Macbeth and The Social Network, in regards to the characters. One may wonder how such different pieces of work could possibly be compared and contrasted, but after analyzing both pieces, it is clear that such similarities and differences exist. Characters

Sometimes in literature, two different forms of writing tell two different stories with lots of similarities through characters. The book The Catcher and The Rye by J.D Salinger and the movie The Dead Poets Society directed by Peter Weir is a perfect example of two different literary works that share similarities through characters. The Dead Poet Society follows half a school year of 5 main characters at Welton Academy each with a different connection to Holden Caulfield the main character from The Catcher in the Rye. These 6 main characters are Neil Perry, the smart one, Richard Cameron, the sycophant, Todd Anderson, who is exceeding shy, Knox Overstreet, the romantic, and Charlie Dalton,

   Washington Irving, in writing "The Devil and Tom Walker", and Stephen Vincent Benet, in writing "The Devil and Daniel Webster" illustrate to the reader the consequences of man's desire for material wealth and how a person's motivation for a relationship with the devil affects the outcome of the "deal". In these two different, yet surprisingly similar narratives, the authors present their beliefs about human intent and motive.

To begin, in the short story “The Devil and Tom Walker”, awe of nature is used to

Not many similarities between the settings are accounted for in the two stories, but they still exist. The Masque of the Red Death and The Devil and Tom Walker were both published within 18 years of each other so the

F. Knowledge: What deal did Tom make with the Devil. Analysis: Why did Tom make the deal with the Devil even though he knew it was going to hurt him in the end? Evaluation: Has “The Devil and Tom Walker” inspired satire in today’s

You are being deceived; two things can seem similar, but really, they are very different. What you initially see is not always accurate, this is especially prominent in literature. Though “Dark They Were and Golden Eyed” and “The Last Dog” appear to be similar, because they have similar genes and characters, they have contrasting themes that are developed in vastly different ways.