"The Devil and Tom Walker" Literary Analysis

Literary Analysis of “The Devil and Tom Walker”
In “The Devil and Tom Walker”, Washington Irving demonstrates that greed can lead a man to do desperate things by using his tone to affect characterization. Irving begins to poke fun at Tom’s greed when the devil tells him about Captain Kidd’s treasure, “…He was not a man to stick at trifles where money was in view” (Irving 240). Irving is basically stating that Tom would do anything to get money, even give up his wife to get some money. Irving gets to poke more fun at Tom when he sells his soul to the devil for the treasure, because Tom’s life is turned around and he becomes rich and powerful. Even when he’s rich, Tom’s greed remains the same “He built himself, as usual, a vast house, out of ostentation; but left the greater part of it unfinished and unfurnished, out of parsimony” (Irving 243). Again, Irving is stating that even though he now has all this money, Tom is still just as greedy as before. He has all this money but he will not even furnish his house, just to save money, so all in all, Tom really did not change at all after he got all the money. Washington Irving demonstrates in “The Devil and Tom Walker” that greed can lead a man to do desperate things through his use of tone to affect characterization.