Reflection: The Devil and Tom Walker

After reading The Devil and Tom Walker and Rip Van Winkle, I came to the conclusion that the writing styles for the two pieces were very similar. Washington Irving, a non-fiction short story writer, exemplifies his great imagination and sense of creativity. Irving, in the story The Devil and Tom Walker, told a fairly short simple story, but it took him ten pages to do so. This proves that Washington Irving was very descriptive in his writings. Irving made his scenes and settings very clear. For example, when Irving was describing the remains of the Indian fort, he says the following: “Nothing remained of the old Indian fort but a few embankments, gradually sinking to the level of the earth, and already overgrown in part by oaks and other forest trees, the foliage of which formed a contrast to the dark pines and hemlocks of the swamp. (Irving 243)” I noticed that in the writings of Washington Irving, the sentences seem to be very lengthy. Thus, the really short and simple stories are drawn out into really descriptive pieces of literature.

In the story Rip Van Winkle, Rip wakes up from a twenty year “nap” to find that everything has changed (Watts). Because everything has changed so much, Washington Irving takes it upon himself to share the new setting and features of the time that Rip woke up to join with the readers. Washington Irving says, “On awaking, he found himself on the green knoll from whence he had first seen the old man of the glen. He rubbed his eyes—it was a bright sunny morning. The birds were hopping and twittering among the bushes, and the eagle was wheeling aloft and breasting the pure mountain breeze. “Surely,” thought Rip, “I have not slept here all night.’” Because Rip was in a totally new setting, the author found it necessary to completely describe almost everything that could have possibly been in the sight of Mister Rip Van Winkle. This element in the piece reveals a Romanticism Era characteristic in that Washington Irving was very real with the description of the setting.

I also related The Devil and Tom Walker to Romanticism because of the form of religion used. Deism, the prominent religion of the Romanticism time period, stated that the best form of worship is to do good things for others. Because Tom was a usurer, he was known for cheating people out of money. When a borrower asks Tom for an extension on a loan, he replies, “The Devil take me if I have made a farthing” (Irving 249). The devil then whisks Tom away. This little story tells the readers that people who do bad things to others may be punished. The devil then turns all of Tom’s riches to cinders because Tom has done so much wrong.

I think that the writings of Washington Irving very much relate to the characteristics of the Romanticism time period. The extensive details and the great use of imagination were used to great extent in this style of writing.

Irving, Washington. "The Devil and Tom Walker." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 240-250. Print.

Matthews, Washington Irving. "4. Rip Van Winkle By Washington Irving. Matthews, Brander. 1907. The Short-Story." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 05 Dec. 2011.

Watts, Linda S. "'Rip Van Winkle'." Encyclopedia of American Folklore. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.