Notes

My story analysis is focused on The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving. Washington Irving was an author who wrote and published many satirical pieces about his home of New York. This particular story foreshadows the corrupt, political figures during the early 1700s, amid American colonization. Irving's choice of a tainted New York as the setting and the corrupt characters he chose to write about, links nicely to the main theme of greed. The story exhibits significance to the deeper meaning of just what happens when you sell you soul to the devil and the idea that what goes around, surely does come around.

Although the Devil and Tom Walker was set in the early 18th century, Washington Irving himself was born in the late 18th century. The setting is heavily influenced by Irving’s background as an American and a New Englander from New York. This was a time when the economy was unstable and people were scrounging to get enough money just to survive. Irving uses real life historical events to give credibility to his main character, Tom Walker and Walker’s profession as a loan shark, which was known at the time as a “usurer.” These events help to paint a picture of desperation and how some people took advantage of others during their time of need.