The Devil and Tom Walker s1

Name: ______Date:______Period:______

“The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving

I. Reading Questions Directions: Answer each question below in complete sentences.

1. Describe the relationship between Tom Walker and his wife.

2. How does Tom know the man he meets in the forest is the devil? What details help him infer this?

3. Read the entire paragraph on page 353 that begins with, “Tom looked in the direction that the stranger pointed…” Explain the symbolism of the trees in this story.

4. Initially, why does Tom decide not to make a deal with the devil? What is the effect of his choice? (Hint: What does his wife then decide to do?)

5. What can readers ultimately infer happens to Tom’s wife in the story? List details from the story that support this.

6. What is comical about Tom’s wife’s fight with the devil and Tom’s response to his wife’s death?

7. What are the conditions of the “deal” made between Tom and the devil? (Some of the conditions you have to infer.)

8. “[The devil] proposed, therefore, that Tom should employ [the money] in the black traffic; that is to say, that he should fit out a slave ship. This however, Tom resolutely refused: he was bad enough in all conscience; but the devil himself could not tempt him to turn slave trader” (356). What do you think is the author’s purpose in including this characteristic of Tom’s in the story. (Hint: Think about the time period in which this story was written. It was first published in 1824.)

9. After making the deal with the devil, would you consider Tom Walker to be a static or dynamic character? Explain.

10. How does Tom try to escape from the deal he made with the devil? What does this represent about Tom’s character?

11. What finally happens to Tom Walker?

12. What can you infer about the narrator’s attitude toward money and the people who care about it? Use support from the story for this inference.

II. Imagery in the Story

Washington Irving’s story is rich in imagery, especially as he begins the story and introduces the key characters and the setting. Reread and carefully study the descriptions on pages 350-354. Choose five sentences from these pages that you feel BEST demonstrate vivid imagery.

18. Choose ONE scene or moment from these pages and create a colorful illustration as to how you visualize the story. Your illustration should reflect details from the text. Somewhere on your illustration write the quote from the passage that best exemplifies your illustration. This illustration should be completed on a separate page and stapled to this assignment.

19. Which characteristic of Romanticism do you think the imagery in this story BEST highlights? Write the entire characteristic. Explain your choice.

Romantic Characteristic:

Explanation: