The
Where did the treasure come from?
Kidd the Pirate
Describe Tom Walker.
-cheap
-hates wife
-not a good guy
Describe Tom Walker's wife.
-mean
-bad temper
-physically and verbally assaults Tom
Where is Tom walking when he meets the Devil for the first time?
In the swamp by the old Indian fort
Why are there names carved into the trees?
The people signed contracts with the Devil.
What did Tom find in the apron?
A heart and a liver
Why is Tom not afraid of the Devil during his first meeting?
He is more scared of his wife.
What job does Tom Walker do that makes him rich?
A usurer- money lender
Why does the Devil carry an ax?
He cuts down the trees and takes the souls of those who signed a contract.
Why does Tom bury a horse upside down?
When the Devil comes, and the world turns upside down, he hopes to outrun him.
Why does Tom want to thank the Devil?
He killed his wife.
When Tom doesn't believe the Devil that he is actually the Devil, what does the Devil do?
He marks him with a burnt fingerprint on his forehead that he could not get rid of.
Describe the Devil.
•Gruff voice
•Great Black man
•Neither “Negro” nor “Indian” (other-worldly)
•Dressed in indigenous clothing
•Swarthy and dingy face- has soot (hollín) on it
•Shock coarse black hair
•Carries an ax
•Has great red eyes
What does Tom do when he starts getting older?
He gets scared and begins going to church. He carries a bible around with him and has a big bible on his desk.
He is in a bad mood and he does not like her.
What happens to all of Tom's material possessions on Earth?
The money is burned, the horses are skeletons, and the paperwork is ash.
What job does Tom refuse to do when the Devil offers him the money?
A slave trader
Why is Tom excited when he finds the apron hanging from a tree with a vulture on top of it?
He thinks he has found the household treasure.
Why does Tom not originally take the deal?
His wife wants Tom to sign the contract so Tom does not in spite of her.
What does the town think happened to Tom's wife?
•Drowned, got lost, or ran away with all of the expensive things
Explain the phrase, "“The Devil take me- if I have made a farthing!”
Tom is figuratively saying "The Devil take me" but since he lied, the Devil actually comes for him.
When Tom finds the apron, he says “Old Scratch must have had a tough time of it.” What does this mean?
Tom's wife beat the Devil up.
Explain the symbolism of the trees being rotten on the inside but flourishing on the out as well as Tom's mansion being empty.
The trees and mansion symbolize the souls of those who signed the contract, powerful and doing well on the outside but their souls are damned.
How does Washington Irving try to convince the reader that this story is actually true?
•Washington Irving (the author) uses different techniques to make us believe the story is true.
•Includes factual information: Kidd the Pirate, Governor Belcher
•Says “The truth is not to be doubted.”
•Includes eyewitness reports from neighbors
•Omits information to make the story more believable.
Explain one aspect of Realism you saw in the story.
-nature- long descriptions
-spirituality or lack of it
-escapism
-love of the common man