The Devil And Tom Walker - Vocabulary Flashcards

Introduction

  • Author: Washington Irving (1783-1859), a prominent figure in early American literature, known for his American Romanticism and Gothic tales. This story, published in 1824 as part of "Tales of a Traveller," draws heavily on German folklore and American Puritanical beliefs.

  • Setting: The story is set a few miles from Boston, Massachusetts, specifically around the late 17th to early 18th century during the Colonial American period, a time often associated with Puritanical judgments and superstitions regarding witchcraft and pacts with the devil. The narrative opens with the description of a deep inlet from Charles Bay leading into a treacherous and deeply ominous swamp, which itself has a history of buried treasure and dark legends.

Descriptions of the Setting

  • Inlet Description: The inlet is described as winding several miles into the interior of the country, creating a sense of isolation and mystery, eventually ending in a thickly wooded swamp. This swamp is depicted as a place of profound gloom and danger, filled with quagmires and tangled, decaying vegetation, symbolizing moral decay and a boundary between the civilized world and the untamed, supernatural.

  • Geographical Features: On one side, there is a beautiful dark grove, offering a deceptive appearance of natural beauty that contrasts sharply with the sinister nature of the swamp. On the other side, a high ridge is crowned with ancient oak trees, some of which bear the marks of an axe. These trees are said to hold the names of those who have made deals with the devil, particularly those prominent figures who amassed wealth through questionable means.

  • Historical Context: Captain William Kidd, a notorious pirate, allegedly buried vast treasures under one of these huge trees in the swamp during the period of piracy in the late 17th century. This ill-gotten wealth is guarded by supernatural forces, specifically the devil, who is said to claim ownership over such treasures and the souls of those who dare to seek them with greedy intent.

Main Characters

  • Tom Walker: He is described as a meagre, gaunt, and miserly man, whose physical appearance reflects his starved spirit. He and his equally avaricious wife are constantly at odds, bickering over every penny. Their dilapidated house, devoid of comfort and sustenance, further symbolizes their mutually destructive relationship and the spiritual poverty caused by their relentless pursuit of money.

  • Tom's Wife: She is portrayed as equally miserly, if not more so, than Tom. She hoards all valuables, hiding them from her husband and creating intense conflict between them. Known for her fierce temper and frequent physical altercations with Tom, she is a caricature of avarice and domestic discord, making their home a battleground rather than a refuge.

Tom Walker's Journey

  • Shortcut Through Swamp: Tom, in his characteristic stinginess, chooses a shortcut through the dark, foreboding swamp. This journey is not just physical but symbolic, leading him deeper into a morally compromised landscape. The swamp is full of dangers: treacherous quagmires, lurking creatures, and a perpetually dreary atmosphere, all of which mirror the moral and spiritual hazards awaiting him.

  • Indian Fort: Tom stumbles upon the ruins of an old Indian fort, a former stronghold for indigenous populations during their wars with the colonists. This site, now decaying and neglected, is a place of historical violence and suffering. Here, Tom finds a cloven skull with an Indian tomahawk buried in it, a grim relic symbolizing past brutality, discord, and the unresolved conflicts of the land. It foreshadows the violent and destructive pact Tom is about to make.

Encounter with the Devil

  • Black Man Appearance: The mysterious figure Tom encounters is described as a great black man, neither a conventional black man nor an Indian, but rather swarthy and covered in soot. His eyes are red, and he wields an ax, marking trees with the names of prominent figures. This figure claims ownership over the lands where Tom was wandering and reveals himself as an ancient, malevolent entity associated with evil deeds and pacts. Tom, recognizing the sinister nature of the figure, mockingly identifies him as "Old Scratch," a common folk name for the devil.

  • Dialogue and Negotiation: Tom discovers that this black man is guarding Kidd's buried treasure. The devil offers Tom access to this immense wealth under specific, sinister conditions: Tom must sell his soul and use the treasure in the devil's service, particularly by engaging in usury. As a sign of their chilling agreement, the black man presses his finger on Tom's forehead, leaving an indelible black mark—a visible sign of his infernal deal.

Tom's Wife's Greed

  • Conflict Over Treasure: Upon hearing about Tom's encounter and the potential for vast riches, Tom’s wife becomes consumed by greed. She vehemently pushes Tom to accept the devil's offer. When Tom hesitates, she decides to seek out the black man alone, hoping to secure the treasure for herself. She departs with all the household valuables in her apron, intending to bribe the devil, but she never returns.

  • Discovery of Her Fate: After several days, Tom, motivated by greed for the valuables his wife took, goes in search of her. He finds her apron hung in a tree, but to his grim discovery, it contains only her heart and liver, suggesting a brutal and bloody demise. This gruesome finding implies that the devil (or perhaps a desperate struggle prompted by her own avarice) was responsible for her death, a direct consequence of her overwhelming greed.

Tom's Transformation

  • Becoming a Usurer: Following his wife's disappearance, Tom, despite initial reservations, resolves to make a deal with the devil. He specifically agrees to become a usurer, loaning money at exorbitant, oppressive rates of interest, thus exploiting the misfortune and desperation of others. This choice emphasizes his profound lack of morals and his relentless, cold pursuit of wealth, causing widespread suffering in the community.

  • Rise to Power: During a period of widespread economic distress, citizens, desperate for money, flock to Tom for loans, enduring his usurious terms. Tom quickly amasses immense riches through these predatory practices. However, despite his growing wealth, he remains incredibly miserly, living in a half-finished house and starving his horse, demonstrating that his pursuit of money has not brought him peace or fulfillment, only more avarice and a life devoid of genuine satisfaction.

Tom's Redemption and Downfall

  • Religious Facade: As Tom ages and his wealth grows, he becomes increasingly uneasy about his pact with the devil. He develops a hypocritical religious fervor, attempting to find loopholes in his deal. He feigns extreme devotion, participating zealously in religious practices, carrying a Bible everywhere, and making ostentatious displays of piety, all in a desperate attempt to cheat the devil out of his due or postpone his inevitable reckoning.

  • Final Confrontation with the Devil: One sweltering afternoon, during a violent thunderstorm, Tom is in his office, about to foreclose on a mortgage with a desperate client. In a moment of irritation, he exclaims, "The devil take me if I have made a farthing!" Immediately, a knock echoes at his door. The black man arrives on a thunderous black horse, claiming Tom for his long-overdue pact. Tom is whisked away on the devil's horse, vanishing into the storm, never to be seen again. All his ill-gotten wealth and possessions are consumed by fire.

Conclusion

  • Moral of the Story: The story culminates in the powerful moral lesson that greed, avarice, and chicanery inevitably lead to a tragic and unavoidable downfall. Tom's fate serves as a stark warning, particularly in a community with Puritanical roots, against the dangers of selling one's soul for worldly gain. The tale has since become a proverbial warning in New England, encapsulated by the phrase "The devil and Tom Walker," signifying a pact with evil consequences.

  • Symbolism: The narrative is rich with symbolism, representing the eternal struggle between good and evil and the corrupting power of unchecked avarice. The swamp itself symbolizes moral decay and the dark underbelly of human nature. Tom Walker's haunting presence is said to linger in the swamp, a ghostly reminder of the devastating consequences of his choices and a perpetual warning to subsequent generations who might be tempted by similar temptations.

Themes

  • Greed and Avarice: This is the central theme, vividly illustrated through Tom and his wife's insatiable pursuit of wealth, their constant bickering, and Tom's willingness to exploit others. Their miserliness and desire for material gain ultimately consume them both, leading to their destruction.

  • Morality and Consequences: The story strongly emphasizes that immoral actions, particularly those driven by selfishness and exploitation, have dire and inevitable consequences. Tom's grisly end serves as a clear warning against compromising one's values for illicit gain, highlighting the belief that justice, often supernatural, will eventually prevail.

  • Nature’s Indifference: The ominous swamp, with its eerie atmosphere, serves as a powerful backdrop that reflects the moral decay of the characters. Nature, in its foreboding grandeur, is indifferent to human suffering and moral transgressions, serving as both a witness and an active participant in the characters' downfall, symbolizing the larger, uncontrollable forces at play.