Washington Irving (1783-1859)
Author Background
Critics consider Washington Irving a pioneer of American humor, the
first to capture the democratic spirit of ridicule that we later find in the
work of Mark Twain.
“Born in 1783, five months before the Treaty of Paris ended the
Revolutionary War, Washington Irving could be considered the first truly
American author, and at any rate was the first American to make a living
solely from his writing.
In Washington Irving's classic short story "The Devil and Tom
Walker," we find a concise variation on the old German legend of Faust.
In both tales, the plot revolves around a man who sells his soul to the
devil for earthly rewards. There are, however, several notable differences
between the two stories.
In Irving's tale, Tom Walker only sells his soul after his wife is killed by
the devil, which Walker (humorously, I thought) believes is a good thing.
This seems to be in line with Irving's other stories, which often feature a
husband’s who hate their wife (interestingly, Irving's fiance died before
they could marry). In the most famous retelling of Faust, Goethe's, Faust
has no wife to begin with, and uses the power of the devil to seduce
(though not marry) a woman. Perhaps the greatest difference between the
two is at the ending.
According to legend, "Rip Van Winkle" was written over the course of a single night, while the author was living with
his sister in Birmingham, England. It was published (with Irving's equally well-known "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow")
in 1819 in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon. Along with James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, The
Sketch Book became one of the first works of American fiction to gain a wide readership in Europe.
Though world literature is replete with tales of men falling asleep for many years, the specific plot of "Rip Van Winkle" is
borrowed nearly wholesale from two German folk stories: "Peter Klaus the Goatherd" by J.C.C. Nachtigal and "Karl
Katz" by the Brothers Grimm.
These are the strange undercurrents upon which Irving's story rests. Despite its airy tone, "Rip Van Winkle" explores
issues of loss, disaffection, and the inevitability of change. But Rip's continuing bloodline -- and the undisturbed presence
of those mysterious Kaatskill mountains -- remind us that not everything must fall victim to the passage of time.”
RipVan Winkle Audio Theater: http://www.chatterboxtheater.org/node/326
Anticipation Guide for “The Devil and Tom Walker”
Read each statement and check the column that represents your response. Be ready to defend your answer.
1. There is a devil who tries to trick people.
YES
NO
2. Money is the number one goal for most people in today’s society.
YES
NO
3. Integrity is more important than money.
YES
NO
4. When you marry, what is yours should become your spouse’s and vice versa.
YES
NO
5. It is okay to lie to your spouse if the lie will not hurt them.
Irving’s “The Devil and Tom Walker” –Allusion to Faustus
YES
NO
* Commonly referred to as a "comic New England Faust, the story bears many similarities to the German folktale of
Faust
The short story is a retelling of the Dr. Faustus tale (Faust)

Johann Faustus made a pact with the devil under the following conditions:
o
o
o
The Devil, for his part, would agree:

to serve Dr. Faustus for as long as he should live,

to provide Dr. Faustus with whatever information he might request, and

never to utter an untruth to Dr. Faustus.
The Devil agreed to these particulars, on the condition that Dr. Faustus would promise:

at the expiration of twenty-four years to surrender his body and soul to the Devil,

to renounce his Christian faith.
Having reached an agreement, the pact was drawn up, and Dr. Faustus formalized it with his own blood.
Dr. Faustus

Henceforth Dr. Faustus' life was filled with comfort and luxury, but marked by excess and perversion.

Everything was within his grasp: elegant clothing, fine wines, sumptuous food, beautiful women--even Helen of
Troy and the concubines from the Turkish sultan's harem.

He became the most famous astrologer in the land, for his horoscopes never failed.

No longer limited by earthly constraints, he traveled from the depths of hell to the most distant stars.

He amazed his students and fellow scholars with his knowledge of heaven and earth.

Shortly after midnight on the last day of the twenty-fourth year, the students who had assembled at the home of the
ailing Dr. Faustus heard a great commotion.

First came the sound of a ferocious storm and then the shouts--first terrifyingly loud then ever weaker--from their
mentor.

At daybreak they ventured into his room. Bloodstains were everywhere. Bits of brain clung to the walls. Here they
discovered an eye, and there a few teeth. Outside they found the corpse, its members still twitching, lying on a pile
of manure.

His horrible death thus taught them the lesson that had escaped their master during his lifetime: to hold fast to the
ways of God, and to reject the Devil and all his temptations.
Goethe’s Faust & Irving’s “Tom Walker”

Irving had traveled widely in Germany by the time he wrote ''The Devil and Tom Walker.'‘

He was most likely familiar with German Romantic writer Johann Goethe's version of the tale which was published
in Goethe's novel Faust.

In an area settled by Quakers and Puritans, religious piety was of utmost importance to citizens, and the lesson of
Tom Walker's ruin illustrated the sorrow that would befall unscrupulous sinners.
Tom Walker, the Literary Figure
This “meager, miserly fellow” one day takes a shortcut through the _______________ and discovers
___________________ over which the ________________ presides. Walker must use the treasure to open up a
______________, catering to those “driven to raise money by desperate means and desperate sacrifices," at 4% monthly
interest. The more distressed the ______________, the more harsh the ______________. By _____________ on farms
and homes, Tom becomes a rich and mighty man, yet lives his life in __________ that the Devil will show up and exact
______________.
Terms:
Applicant
Broker’s Shop
Buried Treasure
Devil
Fear
Foreclosing
Payment
Swamp
Terms
Symbolism in The Devil and Tom Walker
* The Devil:
* The shortcut through the swamp:
* The morass (swamp):
* The rotted trees in the forest:
* The tallness of the trees:
* Tom Walker:
* The Bible buried under mortgage papers:
* Tom Walker's new house:
* Tom Walker as an evil broker:
Theme Statements: Build a Theme Statement for the following Topics

Greed

Hypocrisy

Moral Corruption
Financial Lessons: Beware of Shortcuts
Financial Principle #1: There are no Shortcuts to Wealth
Financial Principle #2: Understand Interest Rates
Financial Principle #3: Loans
Financial Principle #4: Just Because the Person Smiles a lot, has a Good Sense of Humor, and Wears Nice Clothes
doesn’t Mean He’s Doing What’s Best for You
Tom Walker, the Literary Figure
This “meager, miserly fellow” one day takes a shortcut through the swamp and discovers buried pirate treasure over
which the devil presides. Walker must use the treasure to open up a broker’s shop, catering to those “driven to raise
money by desperate means and desperate sacrifices," at 4% monthly interest. The more distressed the applicant, the
more harsh the terms. By foreclosing on farms and homes, Tom becomes a rich and mighty man, yet lives his life in
fear that the Devil will show up and exact payment
Symbolism in The Devil and Tom Walker
* The Devil: temptation
* The shortcut through the swamp: "shortcuts" to wealth
* The morass (swamp): where the "shortcuts" to wealth usually lead
* The rotted trees in the forest: the moral decay of society
* The tallness of the trees: the pride of the people
* Tom Walker: greed
* The Bible buried under mortgage papers: greed and moral decay
* Tom Walker's new house: ostentation and false appearances, "trying to keep up with the Joneses"
* Tom Walker as an evil broker: Loan officers who dupe people into bad loans, cars they can't afford, and consumer
credit cards with unreasonable terms; predatory lending institutions; unscrupulous credit card marketers.
Themes
Greed
Greed is one of the most important themes of “The Devil and Tom Walker” Tom is approached by Old Scratch and
offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. Initially, Tom is so greedy that he declines because he would have to share
the fortune with his wife. Eventually, however, Tom is duped by the false kindness of Old Scratch and blinded by his
own greed. As Irving writes, Tom “was not a man to stick at trifles when money was in view.” Once established as a
moneylender in Boston, Tom is described ironically as a “universal friend of the needy,” even though “In proportion to
the distress of the applicant was the hardness of his terms.” Though he becomes wealthy, Tom still remains
parsimonious: he refuses to furnish his mansion or feed his horses properly. Still, he denies his greed. When accused
by a customer of taking advantage of his misfortune, Tom answers “The devil take me if I have made a farthing!” Of
course, immediately Old Scratch appears at the door. Irving’s moral is clear: “Such was the end of Tom Walker and his
ill-gotten wealth. Let all griping money-brokers lay this story to heart.”
Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy is evident throughout “The Devil and Tom Walker.” When agreeing to the terms of the deal, Tom refuses to
become a slave-trade because he claims to have a conscience. Yet has no problem becoming a moneylender who will
profit by impoverishing others through unscrupulous business practices. In a further example of hypocrisy, Tom insists
on keeping his deals with customers, which drive them to ruin, but then he conspires to cheat the devil on the terms of
their own deal. Thus, his public display of religious fervor has nothing to do with his belief in God but is rather an
attempt to save himself from hell. In his final moment of hypocrisy, Tom denies that he has made a penny from an
“unlucky land-speculator for whom he had professed the greatest friendship.” When the devil comes knocking, Irving
makes it clear that Tom’s hypocrisy has caught up with him.
Moral Corruption
Though Tom Walker is presented as an individual who has always been morally corrupt, the action of “The Devil and
Tom Walker” presents how moral corruption breeds more moral corruption, escalating to the greatest corruption of all,
a pact with the devil. Described at the beginning of the story as a “meagre, miserly fellow,” Tom’s “house and its
inmates had altogether a bad name.” For one with few morals, becoming a corrupt moneylender presents no crises of
character. In acquiring great wealth, Tom feels that the ends justify the means. Selling his soul to the devil presents a
crisis to Tom only when he pauses to consider the afterlife. His conversion to religion, made specifically for the sake
of his own personal interest rather than his faith in God, is a further act of moral corruption. Nevertheless, Tom cannot
escape his fate, and Irving makes it clear the consequences of such “ill-gotten wealth.” Though the narrator refers to
the tale as a “story,” he also states that “the truth of it is not to be doubted.”
Financial Literacy through Great Literature: Beware of Shortcuts
Financial Principle #1: There are no Shortcuts to Wealth
Teaching Financial Literacy… begins with learning there are no "shortcuts" to wealth.
Tom Walker’s shortcut through the swamp ultimately leads to his meeting with the devil, which in turn leads to his illgotten riches. Shortcuts to wealth include lying, cheating, stealing, and many other illegal and unethical practices.
Those who engage in such practices enjoy their money for a season without ever enjoying the true prosperity which
comes from implementing sound financial practices: paying yourself first 10% of your income--a practice which
would entirely eliminate the need for the modern day Tom Walkers we discuss—building a reserve fund covering 3-6
months of living expenses, educating yourself on money and investments, and getting post secondary training or a
college education.
Financial Principle #2: Understanding Interest Rates
Teaching Financial Literacy… must include at least a rudimentary knowledge of interest rates. The Devil and Tom
Walker provides such an opportunity.
Compare Tom’s interest rate, 4% monthly, to the interest rate on an average mortgage, 6.5% yearly. Many see the 4
and assume Tom’s is better. Point out the difference: monthly v. yearly. Tom’s monthly rate compounded over a year
is actually over 60%, nearly 10 times what many pay on their house today. Talk about how wonderful it is that
charging such exorbitant rates is illegal and unheard of in our advanced society (this is a trick). Then discuss Modern
Day Tom Walker #1, payday loans.
Financial Principle #3: PayDay Loans are Bad
Drive on any street in any town in the United States and you’ll find as many PayDay loan businesses charging rates far
in excess of Tom Walker’s as you’ll find intersections. You’ll also find students in your class whose families have
taken out these loans, so tread lightly. These short-term loan centers charge a $15 fee on a two-week loan for each
$100 borrowed, a 390% annual interest rate. If you borrowed $1,000 at 390% interest, broke your foot the next day,
lost your job, and returned a year later to satisfy your creditors, you would owe more than $32,000. Pawnshops have
known this secret for years as have loan sharks. Income tax services have also gotten in on the action, charging
consumers $150 to get their $1,000 refund check two weeks sooner. I wish these were the worst offenders, but they’re
not. That distinction belongs to Modern Day Tom Walker #2, the predatory mortgage lender.
Financial Principle #4: Just Because the Person Smiles a lot, has a Good Sense of Humor, and Wears Nice Clothes
doesn’t Mean He’s Doing What’s Best for You
Teaching Financial Literacy should include watching out for salespeople.
Tom Walker was “the universal friend of the needy, and he acted like a friend in need; that is to say he always exacted
good pay and good security.” Many “friends” in the mortgage business, during the recent real estate boom, pushed
unscrupulous loans on unsuspecting customers. Some simple financial education can prevent these unscrupulous loans
from being pushed on you and your students. Show students how to read a truth-in-lending statement and explain how
lenders took advantage of borrowers by recommending option arms, negative amortization, and interest only loans. A
brief history of mortgages lesson might prove beneficial. If you are familiar with how expensive and unwise
investment products work, such as cash value life insurance, teach that as well.
Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/3764.aspx#ixzz0VlA0AGOd