The Devil And Tom Walker
Essay by 24 • March 11, 2011 • 443 Words (2 Pages) • 1,801 Views
The story "The Devil and Tom Walker" is a story about a man who lives an immoral life of greed. Walker lives in a solemn, wooded, quiet area of New England. Walker runs into the devil and sees that the devil is cutting down someone else's timber. The evil is shown, by the devil in how he is premeditating the murder of "Deacon Peabody". Walker contemplates this meeting with the devil, and recognizes that wealth is the first priority for him. Tom Walker's wife was filled with greed and wanted to acquire the gold that the devil had promised. Walker hadn't obliged to his wife, and due to his wife's acute greediness set out on her own journey to acquire that gold. She had been killed because of her greed, and lack of morals for self-prosperity, which resulted in her death. This is an important example of the use of evil within "The Devil and Tom Walker". Walker is told from the devil that he could earn money through usury and extortion. Walker commits to usury and makes a generous sum of money. Walker has no repentance for such a sin and continues to his usury. The evil accumulates in the story as Walker accumulates more and more money, resulting from more and more greed. The accumulation of this money leads to a climactic point where Walker is fed up with his accumulation of money, and asks to be taken by the devil. Consequently, the devil "takes" Walker to hell. The evil is fluently represented by Walker "selling himself to the devil", and his inability to understand that material possessions couldn't be taken to the next world.
If Tom Walker and his wife lived in today's world, they would still want money and to become rich. More than likely Tom would want a job that pays good money preferably at the Microsoft Company. He would also want a nice car like a hummer or a Lamborghini and on his days off go to a football game or go fishing in his bay liner. Tom's wife on the other
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