human intent and the aftermath of it

Human Intent and the Aftermath of It Washington Irving, in writing
"The Devil and Tom Walker", and Stephen VincentBenet, in writing "The
Devil and Daniel Webster" illustrate to the reader theconsequences of
man's desire for material wealth and how a person's motivation for
arelationship with the devil affects the outcome of the "deal". In these two
different, yetsurprisingly similar narratives, the authors present their
beliefs about human intent andmotive. In "The Devil and Tom Walker",
the story is seen of a stingy man and his naggingwife who " were so
miserly that they even conspired to cheat each other" (128). In thestory,
one sees a man make a deal with the devil, who in the story is known as
"OldScratch", for the sole purpose of personal gain. Tom Walker, seeing
only the possiblewealth that he could achieve, bargains with the devil and
finally reaches an agreementwhich he sees to be fair. Tom does not see
the danger present in bargaining with sucha powerful force for so little
gain. There is a note of humor present in the narrative,which adds to the
sense of danger that is present making deals that one does notintend to
keep. Commenting on the story, Larry L. Stevens notes that "This
tale, ,comically presents the results of valuing the dollar above all else."
This story does avery good job of conveying a message to the reader
about human values. In the story Tom is seen as a very self-centered
man who cares only for himself andhis own well being. He is not even
phased when he discovers the remains of his wifehanging in a apron in a
tree; "Tom consoled himself for the loss of his property with theloss of his
wife" (132). Tom is portrayed in the story as being typical of many of
thecitizens who lived in the town, many of who's names Old Scratch had
carved into thebark of a tree near the Indian Fort. When the devil shows
Tom a tree for a greedytownsperson, he fails to see that he is very much
like that tree when he "looked in thedirection that the stranger pointed and
beheld one of the great trees, fair andflourishing without, but rotten at the
core" (130). As time passes after Tom has made his deal with the
devil, and he is working as ausurer in Boston, squeezing every last cent

out of the unlucky speculators that walkedthrough his door, Tom begins
to wonder whether he made the right choice when hedealt with Old
Scratch: "He thought with regret on the bargain he had made with
hisblack friend, and set his wits to work to cheat him out of the conditions"
(134). Tom'sdecision to attempt to cheat the devil becomes his downfall.
Tom now begins a routineof attending a Church service and praying
loudly for everyone to hear, and he outfitshimself with two Bibles which he
thinks will protect him to the end. In a great ironyIrving tells of how Tom
will put down his Bible for a few minutes while he forecloses amortgage of
some poor borrower, and the resumes his reading when he is
finished.Stevens recognized this irony and noted that "Irving has a keen
eye for the ironies andcontradictions of human behavior." Irving presents
the reader with the difficulty thatcan arise when intentions are based
solely on personal gain. In the story, one seeshow Tom Walker's actions
contradict each other in their meaning and purpose. It isseen in the story
how Tom walker would show his devotion to the Church and to God,when
he was truly only trying to protect himself from when the devil came to
collectwhat was due. Stevens summarized Tom's actions by noting that
" the tale clearlysatirizes those who make a public show of devotion
while retaining meanness of spirit". Irving does a very good job of
demonstrating the ill consequences that can and mostlikely will be a
result of man's lack of caring, and possibly ignorance. Had Tom
Walkerthought upon the deal more thoroughly, instead of jumping right
into it, he most likelywould not have suffered the terrible outcome of the
deal. If he had realized that thewealth that he would achieve would be
useless to him in the end, he would probably beliving in his old house,
unhappy and without a wife, but at least he would have had hisdignity, for
he could know that he did not sink to such lows as to give up his soul for
afew years of unhappy wealth. The humor present in the tale does help
to add a bit ofliveliness to the narrative, keeping it from being completely

dreary and having amelancholy-like mood. "While the selling of one's
soul and the inhumaneconsequences of greed are significant, they
become subjects for laughter throughIrving's character portrayals and his
use of ironic understatement", insightfully notedStevens of this, one of
Irving's finest works. In "The Devil and Daniel Webster", the reader
learns the story of an extremelyunlucky New England farmer named
Jabez Stone, who like Tom Walker, makes a dealwith the devil for
personal gain. In the narrative, Jabez is frustrated with the illness ofhis
wife, the condition of his animals, and his unproductive crops. Jabez
inadvertentlysummons the devil and makes a deal with him, stipulating
that Jabez would have greatsuccess in all his undertakings, and that in
seven years time, he would relinquish hissoul to the devil, known in this
story as "Scratch" or "Mr. Scratch". However when thetime comes for
Jabez to give the devil what is legally his, he manages to bargain for
athree year extension. When that time is almost over, Jabez employs the
services of thenotes speaker Daniel Webster, who, in the end, wins for
Jabez stone his freedom andmakes the devil put in writing that no New
Hampshireman will be bothered by him againuntil "doomsday". There
is one striking difference present between the two stories, and it is a
verysignificant factor when analyzing the outcome of each character's
separate bargains. That is the intentions that each one had when they
made their deals. In "The Devil andTom Walker", Tom Walker bargains
with the devil strictly for personal gain, withoutconsidering the needs of
others. He does not see how his miserly ways are ruining himand he
suffers severe consequences because of it. In "The Devil and Daniel
Webster",Jabez Stone signs a contract with the devil to save his family
from starvation. He wasthinking of others when he signed the contract,
and not himself. That is what leads toWebster's strong point for his
defense of Jabez Stone, "Then he turned to JabezStone an ordinary
man who'd had hard luck and wanted to change it. And, becausehe'd

wanted to change it, now he was going to be punished for all eternity"
(641). The story is truly a credit to the true Daniel Webster, as David
Peck eloquentlynoted: "The story tapped America's love for folklore and
legend, , it re-created thestory of a genuine American hero." A "genuine
American hero" is what Webster is trulyportrayed as in this narrative.
Peck also noted that "The story is praise not only forDaniel Webster,
however, but also for his country, for the two are inextricablyintertwined."
This story also hints to the fact even though people may seem to be
crueland hard on the outside, they can be truly caring and
compassionate. The political andspiritual lessons to be learned from
"The Devil and Daniel Webster" are those whichare very important to the
existence and survival of every human being alive today. Both "The
Devil and Tom Walker" and "The Devil and Daniel Webster" both
arebeautifully written masterpieces of American literature that will
undoubtedly becherished for generations of readers to come. This
beauty comes from each authorsuniquely different American heritage
which adds a certain flavor to each of the works. This is all summed up by
Edward Wagenknecht in his "Washington Irving: ModerationDisplayed",
in reference to the book in which "The Devil and Tom Walker"
waspublished: "'The Devil and Tom Walker' is, , the finest narrative in
this part of thebook". Works CitedAdventures in American Literature. Ed.
Fannie Safier et al. Athena Edition. Austin: Holt, 1996.Benet,
Stephen Vincent. "The Devil and Daniel Webster". in Adventures in
American Literature. Ed. Fannie Safier et al. Athena Edition. Austin:
Holt, 1996. 635-643.Discovering Authors. Macintosh. CD-ROM.
Detroit: Gale Research, 1993.Irving, Washington. "The Devil and Tom
Walker". in Adventures in American Literature. Ed. Fannie Safier et
al. Athena Edition. Austin: Holt, 1996. 128-135.Masterplots II: Short
Story Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Vol. 2. Pasadena: Salem Press,
1989.Peck, David. Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Ed. Frank N.

Magill. Vol. 2. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1989. 575-578.Stewart,
Larry L. Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Vol.
2. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1989. 579-581.Wagenknecht, Edward.
"Washington Irving: Moderation Displayed". Oxford UP. 1962. 233.
in Discovering Authors. Macintosh. CD-ROM. Detroit: Gale
Research, 1993. 3.