LubenianPowell

AmericanLiterature
Period4
9March2015
TheDevilandTomWalkerEssay
ThepurposeofthisessayistoexplainhowWashingtonIrvingusesgreed,moralcorruption,
imaginationandIndividualisminhisstoryTheDevilandTomWalker.Greedisdefinedasintense
andselfishdesireforsomething,especiallywealth,power,orfood.(GoogleSearch)Todefinemoral
corruptionsomeonecansayitisthecorrosionofpeoplesmoralsinwhichIrvinggivesinsightintothe
lifeofTomWalkerinthebookTheDevilandTomWalker.Irvingusestheindividualismelement
ofRomanticismtomakethestatementthatgreedcanonlyservetofurtherdecimatesocietyandto
reiteratethatadealwiththedevilcanneverendwellbecauseintheend,theDevilisselfsufficientand
selfserving.

GreedisaprominentissuewithTomWalkerswife,whichisindicatedatthestartof
story:Abouttheyear1727,therelivednearthisplaceameager,miserlyfellow,ofthe
nameofTomWalker.Hehadawifeasmiserlyashimself:theyweresomiserlythattheyeven
conspiredtocheateachother.Whateverthewomancouldlayhandson,shehidawayahen
couldnotcacklebutshewasonthealerttosecurethenewlaidegg.Irvingillustratesthateven
husbandandwifecanbetornapartbytheirgreed.Torninaliteralsenseillustratedafter
TomswifegoesaftertheKiddpiratestreasure...Anothernightelapsed,anothermorning
camebutnowife.Inawordshewasneverheardofmore.(Irving,p223,1965)

ImaginationisillustratedthroughoutTheDevilandTomWalkerdescribingTom
Walkerslifeandhowhelivedit.IrvingshowsdeepimaginationasheisillustratingToms
livingsituationafterdescribingTomatthebeginningofthestory:Theylivedina
forlornlookinghousethatstoodalone,andhadanairofstarvation.Afewstragglingsavintrees,
emblemsofsterility,grewnearitnosmokeevercurledfromitschimneynotravelerstoppedat
itsdoor.(Irving,p230,1965).Thisquoteshowsimaginationbyconstructingapicturefor
peoplewiththosewords.Hisuseofimaginationprovidesimagerythatpeoplecanuse
throughoutthestory.
MoralcorruptionisillustratedthroughTomswife,butinthissensehercorruptionis
causedbygreed.IrvingdescribeshertobejustasmiserlyasTomandfierceoftemper.
ThroughoutthestorypeoplecanseehowTomswifesmoralsarechangedonceshehearsabout
theblackman(thedevil)andheistoldofamaptotheKiddpiratestreasure.Tomswifeiseager
andissteadilyincreasingincorruptiontowardsthePiratestreasure.Herquestforthetreasure
changesherasdemonstratedbyIrvingwordsinthissentence:Whenshecameback,shewas
reservedandsulleninherreplies.(Irving,p223,1965)Thisexplainshowshewasafter
meetingwiththeDevilandsheisgivenanorderforaPropitiatoryoffering.Irving,inrelation
toTomswifedisappearanceshowingnoexactexplanationinhistext,givesthreepossibilities
forherdisappearancewhichpeoplebelieveisduetogreedandmoralcorruption.
IndividualismisillustratedatvariouspointsinTheDevilandTomWalker.Manymay
believethatTomisabsolutelyanindividualist,meaningheisselfreliantandindependent.Tom
isdescribedasmiserlymeaningthoughhecouldbemeanorpennypinching(Google
Search),inreferencetohowgreedyTomis.Irvingallowsreaderstoseehiminthiswayashe

illustratesthroughoutthestoryinsuchwordsas,HoweverTommightnothavefeltdisposedto
sellhimselftotheDevil,hewasdeterminednottodosotoobligehiswifesoheflatlyrefused,
outofmerespiritofcontradiction.Manyandbitterwerethequarrelstheyhadonthesubjectbut
themoreshetalked,themoreresolutewasTomnottobedamnedtopleaseher.(Irving,p223,
1965)IrvingisillustratinghowIndividualismisaffectedinTomscharacter.Irvinggoesonto
showthatTomisdispleasedwithhelpingothersorevengivingsatisfactiontowardsanyoneother
thanhimself.Hegoesontoshowthisbysimplydisagreeingwithhiswifeaboutmakingthedeal
andgettingthemoneyfromthedeviljustbecauseshewantedhimto.
Inconclusion,greed,moralcorruption,imagination,andindividualismareillustrated
throughoutTheDevilandTomWalker.IrvingusesthesethemesandtenetsofRomanticismto
allowthereadertogetanelaboratefeelonthestoryheistelling.ThedecisionsmadebyTom
andhiswifeexplainhowthesethemesandtenetsofRomanticismareusedthroughoutIrvings
writing.TomslifeisendedduetotheDevilseffectonhimandhisowndecisionsinlife.


WorkCited
Irving,Washington."TheDevilandTomWalker."McDougalLittellLiterature.ByMcdougal
Littell.NewYork:HoughtonMifflin,1965.31224.Print.Workscited

ModernLanguageAssociation(MLA):
"google."
CollinsEnglishDictionaryComplete&Una
2015.

<Dictionary.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/google
>.