The Devil And Tom Walker 'And Dr. Heidegger's Experiment'

Over the course of the Romanticism period, many ideas were expressed throughout art but one of the common concepts was death and humanity. “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving and “Dr Heidegger's Experiment” by Edgar Allan Poe both use imagination, idealism, and the notion of life and death in their writing. Writers during the Dark Romanticism era use death into their writing by using symbolism and irony to show that death and aging is inescapable. Symbolism during the Romantic period was predominantly used to show the main character’s possible future. When it’s first shown, the trees in the forest that Tom Walker walks into in “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving are meant to represent the great men of the town. He writes

Edgar Allan Poe has tried this device in “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” where the characters drink from the Fountain of Youth and become juvenile again. “...the tall mirror is said to have reflected the figures of the three old, gray, withered grandsires, ridiculously contending for the skinny ugliness of a shrivelled grandam.” (Poe 6) This statement reveals that the water that they had drinken from had only worked temporarily and now showed the characters as elderly again. However, since they haven’t realized they have aged again, they all seem absurd since reversing time is impossible. Irony was also used in “The Devil and Tom Walker” such as when Tom gets taken by the Devil. “ “The Devil took me” he said “if I have made a farthing!” Just then there were three loud knocks at the street door.“Tom, you’re come for it,” said the black fellow, gruffly. Tom shrank back, but too late.” The mockery of Tom had been through the Devil coming for his soul after Tom had attempted to repent from his sins through becoming a churchgoer. It helps portray that death is inescapable. Throughout the Romantic era, irony was commonly used to get their theme across the