Archetypes In The Devil And Tom Walker

Characters in stories sometimes follow a theme when it comes to their traits. These traits are called archetypes. Archetypes can be as simple as a villain or hero. They can also be used to portray unfathomable human characteristics that exists in everyone. Characteristics such as greed, lust, envy, pride, sloth, and gluttony are examples. In The Devil and Tom Walker the author portrays archetypes in the characters Tom Walker, Mrs. Walker, and the Devil. Initially, archetypes can be found in Tom Walker. The archetype that Tom portrays is that of greed. The narrator explains, “… there once lived near this place a meagre miserly fellow of the name of Tom Walker.” (Irving online). The author describes Tom as a miserly meagre man. Tom lacks quality and his greediness makes him even less valuable. Another example of Tom’s greediness is when the narrator states, “He built himself, as usual, a vast house, out of ostentation, but left the greater part of it unfinished and unfurnished out of parsimony.” (Irving online). Tom is so greedy that he builds a grand house but decides not to finish the rest of the house because he does not want to spend any more money. Tom

Walker is another archetype of vile human traits. Mrs. Walker archetype is also greed. The narrator introduces, “whatever the woman could lay hands on she hid away…” (Irving online). The author describes Mrs. Walker as a greedy woman who takes anything she finds for herself. Not only does she take them, but she also hides them from Tom so he is unable to find them. The narrator illustrates, “… found nothing but a heart and liver tied up.”(Irving online). Since, Mrs. Walker was not the purest of being of beings when she tried making a deal with the devil, he did not like what she proposed to him. The Devil killed Mrs. Walker but left the heart and liver since they were so tainted by who Mrs. Walker was that they have no value. Overall, Mrs. Walker’s archetypes of greed led to her own