Examples Of Stereotypes In The Devil And Tom Walker
“The Devil and Tom Walker”: A Fantastic Folktale
In 1824, a folktale by the name of “The Devil and Tom Walker” was published by Washington Irving, author of legendary tales such as “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. “The Devil and Tom Walker” is about a man named Tom Walker that sells his immortal soul to the devil in exchange for worldly goods. This particular story is considered a prime example of what folktales should be. Thus, “The Devil and Tom Walker” embodies a folktale based on the inclusion of folktale characteristics stereotypes, unlikely events, and lessons to be learned.
To begin, one of the reasons that “The Devil and Tom Walker” demonstrates a folktale is due to the numerous stereotypes utilized in the story. A stereotype is “A widely held, but …show more content…
An unlikely event is an occurrence that has a slim-to-none chance of happening in the real world. For instance, after the Devil took Tom away, Irving penned “all [Tom’s] bonds and mortgages were found reduced to cinders. In place of gold and silver, his iron chest was filled with chips and shavings; two skeletons lay in his stable instead of his half-starved horses...his great house took fire and was burned to the ground” (7). These events are clearly highly unlikely because bonds and houses don’t burn unless someone lights them, coins don’t turn to wood, and horses don’t die and decompose that quickly. Another very unlikely event that occurs is Tom Walker meeting the Devil. First, the Devil is a character from Christian and Pagan religions. Also, it is unlikely because Tom just so happens to be taking a route that he doesn’t usually take, which leads him to a skull, which he just so happens to kick. The events leading up to Tom Walker meeting the Devil are a series of coincidences. This proves that “The Devil and Tom Walker” has the folktale element of unlikely
In 1824, a folktale by the name of “The Devil and Tom Walker” was published by Washington Irving, author of legendary tales such as “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. “The Devil and Tom Walker” is about a man named Tom Walker that sells his immortal soul to the devil in exchange for worldly goods. This particular story is considered a prime example of what folktales should be. Thus, “The Devil and Tom Walker” embodies a folktale based on the inclusion of folktale characteristics stereotypes, unlikely events, and lessons to be learned.
To begin, one of the reasons that “The Devil and Tom Walker” demonstrates a folktale is due to the numerous stereotypes utilized in the story. A stereotype is “A widely held, but …show more content…
An unlikely event is an occurrence that has a slim-to-none chance of happening in the real world. For instance, after the Devil took Tom away, Irving penned “all [Tom’s] bonds and mortgages were found reduced to cinders. In place of gold and silver, his iron chest was filled with chips and shavings; two skeletons lay in his stable instead of his half-starved horses...his great house took fire and was burned to the ground” (7). These events are clearly highly unlikely because bonds and houses don’t burn unless someone lights them, coins don’t turn to wood, and horses don’t die and decompose that quickly. Another very unlikely event that occurs is Tom Walker meeting the Devil. First, the Devil is a character from Christian and Pagan religions. Also, it is unlikely because Tom just so happens to be taking a route that he doesn’t usually take, which leads him to a skull, which he just so happens to kick. The events leading up to Tom Walker meeting the Devil are a series of coincidences. This proves that “The Devil and Tom Walker” has the folktale element of unlikely