The Devil And Tom Walker Greed Essay

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“The Devil and Tom Walker” is a folk legend about Captain Kidd, a pirate who was supposed to have buried treasure in a swamp near Boston. In 1727, a miserable man named Tom Walker walked through the swamp where he meets an African American whom he recognizes as the devil aka Old Scratch. Washington Irvings short story "The Devil and Tom Walker" serves as a warning sign to readers against the evil of greed and corrupt people. As in stories that involves the devil and earthly riches he never bargains for free.

Irving displays money as an evil force that corrupts Tom and his wife. The fact that Tom's fortune comes from dishonest gains of a pirate only further shows the face of greed. If history teaches us anything, it is that nothing good ever comes from taking short cuts or making deals with the devil. In the story, Tom Walker didn’t want to accept the Devil’s deal until his wife went missing and died over the treasure. So after Tom Walker accepts the Devil’s terms, he opens a broker shop in Boston, becomes a rich man, and lives …show more content…
If it were written in first person, it would have been harder to see from all angles, but at the same time, it would have created more room for emotions such as fear, terror, and dread. But since it is third person, it is easier to conduct an analysis on who was in the wrong and who was in the right. The point of view of this story has a big role in how we feel about the story.
So , in essence, I feel that Washington Irving was trying to tell us to be careful how we get our money and not to make deal with the Devil. Now whether he meant the literal Devil or something that could seem like the Devil, like, for instance, big business owners or just overall bad people. Now there could be a different meaning to the story, but from what i see, that is the main point the author is attempting to get
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