Comparing The Devil And Tom Walker And The Fall Of The House Of Usher

Ray Bradbury once said, “Evil only has the power that we give it.” Bradbury is saying that evil can only affect us if we allow it to. This connects the two iconic gothic literature writers who both have similarities and differences in the artistic ways that they write their two stories: “The Fall of The House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving. Poe uses personification and mood to give the inanimate objects life to make the imagery more vivid unlike Irving who uses satire for a humorous effect; however, both writers use symbolism and foreshadowing. In “The Fall of The House of Usher” Poe writes in a very ominous manner, he uses mood to create tension during the whole story. In the story the narrator

In paragraph 2 it talks about how he had a wife that was, “...As miserly as himself: they were so miserly that they even conspired to cheat each other” This is an example of satire because it helps the reader understand why he and his wife where the way they were which helps develop the plot of the story. Furthermore, an example of Irving using satire is when he states, “However Tom might have felt disposed to sell himself to the devil, he was determined not to do so to oblige his wife; so he flatly refused, out of the mere spirit of contradiction.” This is an example because the author uses funny humor to keep the reader's attention. He does this by demonstrating that Tom Walker wanted to sell his soul but he didn't because his wife told him not to, which is an insane thought because anyone who would be in that situation wouldn't want to sell themselves. Another example of Irving using satire is when he states, “He leaped with joy; for he recognized his wife’s apron and supposed it to contain the household valuables.” This is an example of satire because earlier in the story he explains how his wife takes everything in her site so the fact that he thinks that her apron was full of valuables gives a humorous environment to the

In “The Fall of The House of Usher” the narrator expresses that he is seeing a figure whose “glimpse [he] had obtained…at least while living, would be seen by [him] no more.” This contours Poe's way to create tension which is an example of foreshadowing because the narrator is giving hints on how the sister of Rodrick Usher is going to die and then later in the story the narrator reveals that the sister dies. Also in “The Fall of The House of Usher” Poe uses symbolism. Paragraph 48 talks about how Usher and his sister have died and now “..The deep and dank tarn at [his] feet closed sullenly and silently over the fragments of the ‘House of Usher.” This is an example of symbolism because as the only Usher’s left of the bloodline dies the house also dies: falling to the ground, revealing that the house represents the Usher's name being alive. In The story “The Devil and Tom Walker” the narrator reveals that there is treasure hidden, “Under one of these gigantic trees, according to old stories… by Kidd the pirate.” This is an example of foreshadowing because the narrator is revealing what the story’s plot line is and giving hints on what it would be about. Furthermore, in the story the narrator explains how, “All [Toms] bonds and mortgages were found reduced to cinders. In place of gold and silver, his iron chest was filled with chips and shavings;