Crack-Some-Laughs

The Devil and Tom Walker

Irring, Washington. “The Devil and Tom Walker” The language of Literature. Ed Arthur N. Applebee, Andrea B. Bermudez, Shridan Blau, Rebekah Caplan, et al. A Houghton Mifflin Company: Evanston, Illinois, 2002. 250-359. Print.

 In this short story, a man named Tom Walker sells his soul to the devil in exchange for wealth. During his lifetime he works for the devil and receives prosperity in return. When his death approaches his economic situation starts changing and one day the devil appropriates his soul. Washington uses this situation to demonstrate how ironic life is. He claims that people are capable of any thing in order to acquire what they desire, but they´re never aware of the price they have to pay. The story forces readers to contemplate the existence of karma and Washington uses humor to address controversial topics, which makes it easier to expose his ideas on the issues he desire.