Washington+Irving

 ​"The Devil and Tom Walker" by: Washington Irving ​

Summary: Washington Irving wrote "The Devil and Tom Walker" in the 1700’s. The narrator of the story, tells myths and legends he has heard, never telling if they were true, relating to Tom and the Devil. According to the narrator, Kidd the pirate buried treasure in Massachusetts under a tree. After the pirate was hanged, the treasure was untouched. Years later, Tom Walker decided to take a shorter way home through a swamp. After resting upon a tree, he dug slightly into the ground finding an old skull. Suddenly, a voice shakes him as he looks up to what he called himself, the black woodsman, or better known as the Devil. The Devil offers him the treasure in an exchange for a few conditions but Tom turns them down and returns home to tell his wife. __Appalled__ that Tom didn't want the money, Tom's wife went out to receive the money herself. She soon became frustrated when the Devil didn't come out to see her and the last time she went out to find him, she had collected house valuables and rapped them into her apron, never returning. Days after her disappearance, Tom traveled deep into the woods to find what happened, but he only came across her apron folded around a heart and a liver. Once the Devil appears again, he agrees to the deal while knowing he could now keep the money to himself. So, Tom starts a business where he cheats people out of their money and was able to buy nice things. But unfortunately, he never wanted to spend the money to take care of the products he bought. Growing old, he realized that he didn't want the devil to receive his soul, so he tried to cheat him by frequently going to church, praying, and reading the bible. His efforts didn't stop the Devil. On a stormy night Tom was mysteriously taken away on a black horse and his house was soon burned down.

Correlation: "The old stories add..." page 1 "When it was asserted that the savages held incantations here and made sacrifices to the evil spirit. Tom Walker, however, was not a man to be troubled with any fears of the kind."page 2 "The Devil and Tom Walker" is based on a myth that the narrator tells. Years ago, during the setting of the story, myths and legends were really taken seriously and often created concerns. Tom Walker, the main character, is one of the rare and strange folk of this time period. He doesn't really believe the myths he's told, and if he does, he doesn't show an emotion to it. Tom's personality for his role in the play seems to fit perfectly with the events that occur.

"I am he to whom the red man devoted this spot..." page 3 Back before the 1700's, the term "red man" was established and it refereed to the Indians. Today a football team, the Redskins, takes part of the name. The football team's mascot is actually an Indian. A few years back there was dispute over the name of the football team, saying it was making fun of Indians.

"At length, she determined to drive the bargain on her own account, and if she succeeded, to keep all the gain to herself." page 4 "He even felt something like gratitude towards the black woodsman, who he considered had done him kindness. He sought, therefore, to cultivate a farther acquaintance with him..." page 5-6 After Tom turned down the Devil's deal, his wife decided that she would find the treasure for herself. She struggles to find the Devil, but as the story continues, she is mysteriously murdered. Tom, looking at the bright side, isn't disappointed in his wife's death. Once meeting the Devil again, he takes him up on the earlier despised offer, for he could keep the money all for himself. Ironically, it turned out that both of the characters were greedy. From being greedy caused one to be murdered, and the other to loose their soul. They both lost in the end which proves that being greedy is terrible and can easily spin out of control.

Reflection: Washington Irving wrote "The Devil and Tom Walker". His creativeness in plot added __spunk__ **:-)** to the story, which made it fun and easy to read. The flow of the story easily hooked me into wanting to know what happened next. And then before I knew it, I was finished. The story not only was good, but there was a lesson to learn. The unique parable was about the greediness of others and how it can affect one, if not now, later when it's less expected.