greediness
...eed. The story takes place in a small town in the 1720's, in those times religion was very influent, and the need of money was too. That atmosphere is the perfect setting for a story about Devils and his powers over man, Devil was considered ,and still is, the author of all bad things, illness, sin, greed and so on. What Irving wanted, was to relate a story about the devil, but no as a protagonist, the main character is human kind represented by Tom Walker. This representation is quite exaggerated , but it reflects exactly our nature. Human nature isn't easy to explain, but it's possible to remark on some aspects, that the author exposes in his work. The first point is the beginning of the story, it talks about the relationship between Devil and money, and how he keeps it for his cheats. According to the story the Devil keeps a treasure waiting for his next victim, in this case the Devil more than a protagonist is a symbol, the symbol of the other side of us, our deepest feelings and thoughts , that thing that make us do thinks against social, and religious rules, the devil is only one excuse for our behaviour. He make us lie, steal, and awakes our wishes when their are stronger than our integrity. Let's clarify this point, the Devil is the symbol that represents all the negative thing in human life, so he will always try to takes us to his side, throw us into our own hell. A place created by ourselves, with our actions. Next there's another interesting point in Washington's story, the fact that the main character , Tom Walker” isn't a good man, moreover he is a vulgar, a man without feelings, and his only true love is money, even he is married he doesn't love his wife, his marriage is like a business association. Tom has all society forbids, that's why he can't be seduced by devil, he's already a bad man, grew up by greed. With that kind of attitude, Irving tries to show the effects of greed, first greed makes us beings without feelings, and steal our dignity, to explain this point is necessary to refer at some passages of the story , the first one is when Tom sees a human skull when he was into a dark forest, next he saw a man of estrange appearance, it was the Devil, who told Tom about the treasure buried in the forest. Next when Tom's wife knew that, she decide to go at the forest, face the Devil, and ask for the treasure. This only proves , that greed is so powerful, that makes a man or a woman, people without fear or common sense, the need of money, can change a coward into the bravest man on earth. Greed also steal our feelings, in the story Tom's wife went to look for the Devil, but she didn't comeback, after a time Tom decided go to the forest, and look for his wife, no because he loved, the true reason was that he wanted to recover the things, his wife picked up for her travel, next Tom discovered his wife was death, but he wasn't sad by the loose of his possessions, he consoled himself with the death of his wife. A clear example of how greed steals our feelings, we appreciate more material things than our family, we can live with the death of a familiar, but if we loose material things our lives are empty and sad. Another point is the Tom's wife death, symbolised by the crows, animals related with death since a long time, she was looking for money, but she only found her own death, greed and die are so related, that one is consequence of the other, history refuses that, there are many wars, and homicides as a result of greed, hungry of richness. ...