The Devil and Tom Walker
A story by Washington Irving.
The writer was born April 3, 1873 in New York. He made his literary debut in 1802, with observational letters to the morning chronicles. He moved to England in 1815 for his family business, and archived international fame with the publication of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. In 1819. He had many good publications through his life. Washington had a heart attack and died, November 29th, 1859.
Literary era
The Devil and Tom Walker is a story from the romantic literary era, now the romantic era does not mean that everyone is falling in love or there is a lot of Romeo’s and Juliet’s. Romanticism is more about the faith in inner experiences and the power of imagination. Romantics also write about the wisdom of the past, and you can find many characteristics from myth, legend, and folklore. Romanticism values youthful innocence over educated sophistication.
Main characters
Tom Walker: Man full of misery, he mistreats his horse and hates his wife. Tom Walker is careless and does things without thinking of the consequences it may have. He is not a kind person, and argues al lot with his wife. One can see on Tom’s clothes and body that he is miserable and his house too. When reading about this character the colors you may see turns grey and, light covered with darkness.
The Wife: She is tall and strong; she is very much a bad person. She will cheat her husband just as much as he would cheat her. She cares only for material goods and not for her husband’s health or welfare. She is overall greedy, and personally going to make a deal with the Devil as Tom Walker declines the Devil’s offer.
The Devil: Is a dark figure, he is not Indian and not white. He has red glowing eyes, and carried a red belt or a sash. His face is begrimed with soot; he had black hair, and carried his axe on his shoulders.
Setting
The story takes place some miles away from Boston, Massachusetts, in year 1727....