The Devil And Tom Walker Satire Essay

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In “The Devil and Tom Walker”, Washington Irving uses satire effectively to reveal the wrong ideas about religion, greed, and unhealthy marriage. Satire is the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices. Particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. Irving uses satire to show the readers how not to practice your religion. Tom expresses greed throughout this novel. He makes a deal with the devil, which was he sells his soul to the devil and in return he gets money. Tom and his wife have a very unhealthy marriage, not only do they fight with words but they also hit each other. Eventually this leads to the death of Tom's wife. Satire is used in all three of these aspects throughout the novel to reveal the wrong ideas of each one.
Irving uses satire to show how not to practice your religion. Tom thinks that since he made a faustian bargain with the devil he will go to hell. A faustian bargain is a deal with the devil. You sell him your soul and you get something in return. Last minute Walker decides to go to church. …show more content…
Not only do they not get along “they were so miserly that they even conspired to cheat on each other(243).” This quote shows us that they despise each other so much that neither one of them would mine if they had an affair with another person. The both of them are dangerous to each other.They physically and emotionally abuse each other. Their marriage is unpleasant and depressing. The both of them can never agree on the same page. When they don’t agree with one another it starts as a emotion argument but then quickly escalates to a physical fight. They don’t have any respect for either one of them. The Devil knows that Tom and his wife do not get along. The wife brings her belongings to the devil to make a deal but instead the Devil has other plans and kills her.Tom Walker and his wife had a very unhealthy
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