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“The Devil and Tom Walker” Study Guide

Part 1

Journal topic: The dark, yet comic "The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving centers on greedy Tom Walker, who cares only for himself in his pursuit of riches. Write about a greedy behavior that you have observed.

Part 2

Read Washington Irving's biography on page 227 and write one significant fact and one surprising fact about him.

Part 3

Read the Literary Analysis: Characterization (Direct & Indirect Characterization) on page 226 and take notes.

Part 4

Read "The Devil and Tom Walker" (pages 228-239) and complete study guide. We will have a quiz over the story and characterization!

  1. Describe Tom Walker’s first encounter with the devil.
  1. What did Tom’s wife try to do?
  1. What, in all likelihood, was the fate of Tom’s wife?
  1. Describe Tom’s reaction to his wife’s disappearance? What was he truly worried about?
  1. What bargain does Tom finally strike with the devil?
  1. What does he do when he begins to regret his bargain?
  1. What does Irving’s description of the Walkers’ house and the surrounding land indicate about the kind of people they are?
  1. What details indicate that while Tom Walker’s condition changes during the story his nature remains the same?
  1. What does Irving mean when he says that Walker became “a violent churchgoer”?
  1. How is the manner in which Walker approaches religion similar to the way he approaches his financial dealings?
  1. What lessons could you learn from this story?
  1. Describe one example of foreshadowing in the story.
  1. Compare Tom’s two houses. How are they alike and how are they different?
  1. Identify three things you learn about Tom through direct characterization.
  1. What do you learn about the relationship of Tom and his wife through indirect characterization?
  1. Explain the story’s mood. How does Irving create humor in a story in which there are few happy events?
  1. The story opens in Puritan New England in 1727. The Salem witch trials had taken place in 1692, only thirty-five years earlier. Identify five details describing the setting that suggest something sinister and supernatural.
  1. A satire is a story that mocks some human folly. If Irving’s story is a satire, what human follies is Irving mocking? What details in the story reveal that Irving was specifically critical of the values held by the Puritans of Boston?
  1. This story was first published in 1824, long before people’s consciousness had been raised about the cruelty of viewing other people as stereotypes. It was a time, for example, when women characters were housewives, when African Americans were treated harshly, and when American Indians were viewed as “savages.” These views are reflected in Irving’s story. How do you feel about reading literature like this today?