The Devil and Tom Walker

"The Devil and Tom Walker" is a short story by Washington Irving (written under the penname Geoffrey Crayon) that first appeared in his 1824 collection of stories and sketches Tales of a Traveller. It was part of the "Money-Diggers" portion. The story is about a man who sold his soul to the devil in order to obtain wealth. He later regretted this decision when he had to suffer the consequences. Both the trade with the devil and the regret suffered by Tom Walker afterward cause this story to be compared to Johann Goethe's novel Faust, which was written in Germany a few decades previously. A silent film of "The Devil and Tom Walker" was made in 1913.

Plot

Tom Walker is a typical man with a typical life. This is until he takes a walk in the swamp and starts up a conversation with the Devil incarnate (referred to as "Old Scratch" in the story.) Old Scratch strikes up a deal with Tom Walker: The riches hidden in the swamp in exchange for Tom's employment under Old Scratch. Tom agrees to think about it, and returns home. Excited about such a thing, he clumsily mentions it to his greedy wife. When he is caught unawares, Tom's wife takes all the valuables in the house and goes to make a deal with Old Scratch. When Tom goes in search of his wife, all he can find of his wife is her heart and liver in her apron tied to a tree. It must be understood that at the time this was written it was believed that the Devil considered women inferior and stupid. Tom Walker then agrees to the deal with Old Scratch (his wife was abusive towards him and he considered her death at the hand of Old Scratch a good thing.) Tom agrees to become a brokerer (a loan shark.) Tom constantly swindles people out of money, until he suddenly becomes fearful for the after-life. He then starts to become fiercely dedicated to God, always keeping a Bible at hand. When, one day, a person who borrowed money from him and asking for clemency blames Tom for taking his money, Tom says, "The Devil take me if I have made but a farthing!" At this time, there is a loud knock at the door. Tom is drawn towards the black cloaked figure (most likely Old Scratch) and realizes, in horror, that he has left his Bibles at his desk. Tom Walker is then taken away in a cart drawn by white horses.

External links

• Full Text at About.com
• "The Devil and Tom Walker" at Internet Movie Database

Tom Walker is a typical man with a typical life. This is until he takes a walk in the swamp and starts up a conversation with the Devil incarnate (referred to as "Old Scratch" in the story.) Old Scratch strikes up a deal with Tom Walker: The riches hidden in the swamp in exchange for Tom's employment under Old Scratch. Tom agrees to think about it, and returns home. Excited about such a thing, he clumsily mentions it to his greedy wife. When he is caught unawares, Tom's wife takes all the valuables in the house and goes to make a deal with Old Scratch. When Tom goes in search of his wife, all he can find of his wife is her heart and liver in her apron tied to a tree. It must be understood that at the time this was written it was believed that the Devil considered women inferior and stupid. Tom Walker then agrees to the deal with Old Scratch (his wife was abusive towards him and he considered her death at the hand of Old Scratch a good thing.) Tom agrees to become a brokerer (a loan shark.) Tom constantly swindles people out of money, until he suddenly becomes fearful for the after-life. He then starts to become fiercely dedicated to God, always keeping a Bible at hand. When, one day, a person who borrowed money from him and asking for clemency blames Tom for taking his money, Tom says, "The Devil take me if I have made but a farthing!" At this time, there is a loud knock at the door. Tom is drawn towards the black cloaked figure (most likely Old Scratch) and realizes, in horror, that he has left his Bibles at his desk. Tom Walker then rides away on a black stallion during the middle of a thunderstorm towards the swamp, never to be seen again.