The short story “The devil and Tom Walker '' by Washington Irving represents the beliefs of the Dark Romanticism movement. In the story Tom has a strong ego and he makes decisions that he later regrets. Tom bargains with the devil to gain wealth; however, when he later regrets his decision, he becomes a violent church-goer. In the end, though, Tom is unable to fix his mistakes. Irving's story illustrates three major tenets of Dark Romanticism which includes the presence of the supernatural, the belief that nature is dark and evil, and the belief that individuals are prone to sin. The presence of the supernatural is heavily represented in Irving's story. The swamp where Tom meets the Devil is described as a place where “The savages held incantations …show more content…
One day as Tom walks home, he comes upon a swamp area that is “Thickly grown with great, gloomy pines and hemlocks” (Irving). Nature is portrayed as dark because the swap is overgrown with big trees creating a dark and creepy atmosphere that can be dangerous for the traveler. The word gloom is used to create an ominous mood.
The story also portrays the belief that individuals are prone to sin and self-destruction. Humans may fail in their attempts to fix their mistakes. Tom Walker regrets his decision and tries to amend with the devil by turning to God. Irving writes “He had left his little bible at the bottom of the coat-pocket” (Irving). The quote illustrates that when he made a mistake he turned to religion to try and fix it, but he ends up dying. Tom Walker could not fix his mistake and paid the ultimate price. Irving's story conveys the three major tenets of Dark Romanticism: the presence of the supernatural, the belief that nature is dark and evil, and the belief that individuals are prone to sin. Overall, Dark Romanticism focuses on the dark side of nature and humans. The author's purpose of the story is that humans can be greedy and self-centered, and when we regret our choices, we cannot always come back. One may end up worse off than