What is the main conflict in the Devil and Tom Walker?
What is the main conflict in the Devil and Tom Walker?
In “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving, the central struggle has to do with Tom’s greed. In the beginning of the story, Tom and his wife both display miserly habits and go so far as to cheat each other.
Why are Tom Walker and his wife unhappy?
Why are Tom and his wife unhappy? They fight about money. “Tom was a hard-minded fellow, not easily daunted, and he had lived so long with a termagant wife that he did not even fear the devil.”
What is the plot of The Devil and Tom Walker?
“The Devil and Tom Walker” is a short story by Washington Irving about a miserly man who makes a deal with the devil. Tom Walker meets the devil, who offers him a bargain: he’ll give Tom a buried treasure on one condition—presumably, that Tom give the devil his soul. Tom declines, to spite his greedy wife.
What does Tom Walker’s new house symbolize?
Tom’s house represents the ostentatious side of greed as Tom shows himself to be wealthy, while the lack of furnishings shows the more practical side of greed that withholds unnecessary expenditure. When Tom grows rich as a usurer, he builds himself a house that reflects his greedy and miserly character.
Why does Tom start praying and reading the Bible?
Why does Tom begin praying and reading the bible? He wants to escape the devil. Tom’s green spectacles may be symbolic of what emotion (think of the seven deadly sins). He only ever saw the greed and wealth in things and nothing else.
Why did Tom go to church?
Tom turns to the Church because he is worried about his deal with the devil. As he grows older, the idea of his mortality becomes closer to his thoughts, and he most likely is thinking about the afterlife. In an attempt to thwart the devil from taking his soul, Tom carries the bible and goes to church.
What does Irving mean when he says that Tom became a violent churchgoer?
The narrator describes Tom as a “violent churchgoer” to emphasize Tom’s efforts at presenting himself as an exalted, pious human being so as to extricate himself from his apparent fate.
What agreement does Tom make with the devil?
What agreement does Tom Walker ultimately make with the devil? Tom agrees to sell his soul to the Devil in exchange for the pirate’s treasure, which he will use in his role as a money lender in the Devil’s service.
What does Tom do to try to free himself from the devil’s claim?
What does Tom do tobtry to free himself from the devils claim? Tom and his wife hide eggs from each other, Tom is too cheap to feed his horse, Tom makes a deal with the devil etc.