Devil and Tom Walker
Washington Irving’s short story, “The Devil and Tom Walker”, is about a poor and disgruntled man that gives his soul to the devil in trade for material wealth and prosperity. ... “The Devil and Tom Walker” complies with this criterion, by focusing on a single story line; that of a man, his wife and the devil and the pursuit of riches and prosperity. The desired effect of this story is delivered clearly in the end, when Irving writes: Such was the end of Tom Walker and his ill gotten wealth. ... It is even shown that Tom Walker himself, sees the error of his ways, in the latter part of his life, in the following passage: As Tom waxed old, however, he grew thoughtful. ... Poe believes that for a short story to be good, it must be short enough to be read in one sitting; “The Devil and Tom Walker” again complies with this criterion. ... This literary element is exemplified in the following quote, “The most current and probable story, however, observes that Tom Walker grew so anxious about the fate of his wife and his property that he sat out at length to seek them both at the Indian fort.