THE DEVIL & TOM WALKER
pgs. 258-268
Washington Irving
Washington Irving
 He was the 1st American
writer to gain an
international reputation.
 He was born & bred in New
York’s Hudson Valley, the
setting for many of his
stories.
Washington Irving
 He studied law but found he
enjoyed travel and writing
much more.
 He traveled throughout
Europe reading & studying
European Literature.
Washington Irving
 He began writing satirical
essays in 1807 using the pen
name Jonathan Oldstyle.
 Irving, with his brother
William, began publishing a
humorous magazine named
for a spicy appetizer,
“Salmagundi”.
Washington Irving
 After a brief stint in small
publications he toured
Europe where he conceived
and created his two most
famous works:
 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
 Rip Van Winkle
Washington Irving
 Both stories transformed
German tales into distinctly
American narratives set in
Hudson Valley.
 He created two of the most
famous characters in American
literary history: Ichabod Crane
and Rip Van Winkle.
Washington Irving
 Shortly after these two
American classics were
published, Irving
transformed another
Germanic tale--The Devil &
Tom Walker.
The Devil & Tom Walker
 It is a story about ill-gotten
wealth.
 Tom Walker sells his soul to the
Devil in exchange for earthly
gain.
 It was a story with a timely
message. Old Puritanical beliefs
of devotion to God were fading
& materialism rose in its stead.
The Devil & Tom Walker
 3rd Person Point of View:
*Also referred to as 3rd
person omniscient, it is the
point of view where an allknowing narrator relates the
events of the stories.
3rd Person
 3rd Person Characteristics:
 The Narrator is on the
outside of the plot looking in
 Details about the thoughts
and feelings of all the
characters are given
 The narrator gives
commentary on the events
of the story
CHARACTERIZATION
 DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION:
 The narrator tells the reader
what the character is like.
 INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION:
 Personality traits are revealed
through words, thoughts and
actions of the characters.
Vocabulary
 Avarice: greed
 Usurers: moneylenders who
charge high interest.
 Extort: to obtain by threat
or violence.
 Ostentation: a boastful
display.
 Parsimony: stinginess