Devil and Tom Walker
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The Devil and Tom Walker
In Washington Irving's The Devil and Tom Walker, his main character is a man by the name of Tom Walker. Tom Walker "lived" in the early 1700's in a lonely house with his wife. His wife and he were continually at odds always trying to cheat each other out of material goods or money. Then one day while Tom was trying to take a shortcut home, he ran into the devil in a swamp. The devil eventually makes a deal with Tom and Tom becomes rich through immoral ways. Irving's character is a conventional character with little or no individuality whose actions are predictable and used to illustrate a moral.
Tom Walker is a traditional illustration of a simple man who is tempted by the devil and wrong doings in order have personal gain. He was defeated by greed and the easy way like many men. Tom has no individuality in the sense that the reader does not become emotionally attached or really gets to know him. He is more of a representation of the all the bad choices that people typically make when dealing with the devil...