The Bible
 “He
had left his little Bible at the bottom of
his coat pocket, and his big Bible on the
desk buried under the mortgage he was
about to foreclose; never was a sinner
taken more unawares” (lines 321-323).
Tom Walker’s House
 His
new house (after becoming a usurer) is
large and symbolizes ostentation and
false appearances. He is trying to “keep
up with the Joneses”
 Ostentation: Noun – Pretentious display
meant to impress others; boastful
showiness; pretentious
Tom Walker’s House
 Where
in the text do we see the
symbolism of Tom Walker’s new house as
ostentatious and a false appearance?
Tom Walker’s House
 “He
built himself, as usual, a vast house,
out of ostentation; but left the greater
part of it unfinished and unfurnished, out
of parsimony. He even set up a carriage
in the fullness of his vainglory, though he
nearly starved the horses which drew it”
(lines 270-275).
Tom Walker as an Usurer
 Tom
Walker as a usurer symbolizes loan
officers who trick people into bad loans,
cars they can’t afford, and consumer
credit cards with unreasonable terms;
predatory lending institutions; corrupt
credit card marketers.
Tom Walker as an Usurer
Where in the text do we see the symbolism
of Tom Walker’s career?
Tom Walker as an Usurer

“At this propitious time of public distress did
Tom Walker set up as usurer in Boston. His door
was soon thronged by customers. The needy
and adventurous, the gambling speculator,
the dreaming land-jobber, the thriftless
tradesman, the merchant with cracked
credit; in short, everyone driven to raise
money by desperate means and desperate
sacrifices hurried to Tom Walker. Thus Tom
was the universal friend of the needy” (lines
259-264).
Discussion:
Do people like Tom Walker (people who
take advantage of other peoples’ poor
financial situation) still exist today?
Today’s Objectives
Today I will be able to:
 Characterize Tom Walker, The Devil and Tom Walker’s Wife.
 Illustrate the characterization and romantic elements found in
“The Devil and Tom Walker”.
I will know I have reached my goal when:
 I have reviewed my STEAL chart with my group
 I created my character poster.
 I have presented my STEAL poster
Homework : None
Today’s Objectives
Today I will be able to:
 Characterize Tom Walker, The Devil and Tom Walker’s Wife.
 Illustrate the characterization and romantic elements found in
“The Devil and Tom Walker”.
I will know I have reached my goal when:
 I have reviewed my STEAL chart with my group
 I created my character poster.
 I have presented my STEAL poster
Homework : None
Poster Requirements
1). The character must be illustrated on the poster.
2). Elements of “S. T. E. A. L.” must be included
into your poster.
3). Elements of Romanticism from the text must be
included in the picture as well.
4). Must be creative and amazing.
5) Overall statement
All groups will be required to present their posters
to the class.
Today’s Objectives
Today I will be able to:
 Sequence the events of “The Devil and Tom Walker”.
 Characterize Tom Walker, The Devil and Tom Walker’s Wife.
I will know I have reached my goal when:
 I have taken “The Devil and Tom Walker” reading quiz
 I have begun to work on my STEAL chart in my group
Homework : Finish assigned character STEAL chart
Old: The Age of Reason
(1600s-late 1700s)
New: Romanticism
(late 1700s-mid 1800s)
Our last unit
•
prompting change
•
Nonfiction
•
instruction
New national literature,
storytelling, folktales
Emerging Literature
1776-The Crisis, Common
Sense…
1824-Devil and Tom Walker
1837-Dr. Heidegger’s
Experiment
1845-The Raven
Old: The Age of Reason
(1600s-late 1700s)
New: Romanticism
(late 1700s-mid 1800s)
Our last unit (prompting
New national literature,
change, nonfiction,
storytelling, folktales
instruction)
Humans are rational beings Humans are emotional
beings
Old: The Age of Reason
(1600s-late 1700s)
New: Romanticism
(late 1700s-mid 1800s)
Our last unit (prompting change,
nonfiction, instruction)
New national literature, storytelling,
folktales
Humans are rational beings
Humans are emotional beings
Inspired by the Puritan Ethic:
Inspired by Nature:
-Humans are inherently evil and must
overcome their sins
-Personal salvation depends on the
grace of God, not individual effort
-Bible is the supreme authority
-Moral enthusiasm and optimism,
interest in the supernatural
-Faith in individualism and intuition—
using careful observation and deep
thinking together; an intuitive moment
is when the ‘light bulb comes on’
-Less rigid religious sects; a more
enthusiastic approach
Old: The Age of Reason
(1600s-late 1700s)
New: Romanticism
(late 1700s-mid 1800s)
Our last unit (prompting change,
nonfiction, instruction)
New national literature, storytelling,
folktales
Humans are rational beings
Humans are emotional beings
Inspired by the Puritan Ethic:
-Humans are inherently evil and must overcome
their sins
-Personal salvation depends on the grace of
God, not individual effort
-Bible is the supreme authority
Inspired by Nature:
-Moral enthusiasm and optimism, interest in the
supernatural
-Faith in individualism and intuition—using
careful observation and deep thinking together;
an intuitive moment is when the ‘light bulb
comes on’
-Less rigid religious sects; a more enthusiastic
approach
John Locke’s “natural rights”:
-citizens have a right to life, liberty,
and property
-if a govt. abridges any of these rights,
the people have a right to replace that
government
-Stresses individual expression over
the restraints of law and custom;
society is a place of corruption
-Applauded the founding fathers as
people who rebelled against unfair
laws
The Devil and Tom Walker

Washington Irving-1824

Mood: the feeling we get from a story’s setting or other
details (gloomy, cheery, dark, hopeful)
Theme: complete sentence that captures the main
ideas of a story in a way that can be applied outside of
the story
Archetype: a universal character or plot (not specific to
one culture or time period)
Sensory detail: an image, sound, smell, taste, or texture
allegory
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