Name
Date
“The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving
Reading Warm-up B
Read the following passage. Pay special attention to the underlined words. Then, read it again,
and complete the activities. Use a separate sheet of paper for your written answers.
The mythology of the American wilderness has engaged
scholars for decades. What role did the great expanse of
nature, especially the forest, play in the American imagination? One fact has been disclosed by the many analyses
of the literature and history of eighteenth-century and
nineteenth-century America. These studies reveal that the
wilderness was undoubtedly a contradiction that embodied opposing forces, symbolized opposing ideas, and
unleashed opposing impulses.
On the one hand, the wilderness was a refuge, a flourishing paradise to which Europeans fled in order to
escape difficult, even fatal, circumstances. Arriving from
lands where poverty existed widely and religious persecution was prevalent, those early Americans imagined the
wilderness as a place of beauty, freedom, and opportunity. What was uppermost in their minds was the chance
the wilderness provided to create their own lives. To
them, the natural wilderness was a new Eden and they
were all Adams and Eves.
On the other hand, the wilderness was also a place
of danger, an environment of evil itself, and strenuous
efforts were necessary simply to ensure survival in it.
Americans had to take every precaution, exercise every
care, when venturing into the forest, and anyone who
was too squeamish, too sensitive about what might be
found there, was probably better off staying in town or
returning to Europe. The forest was huge and dark,
uncivilized and unforgiving.
So the American wilderness grew in the imagination
as both divine and diabolical. It was a place of delight
and independence and, at the same time, an abode of
crime, sin, and death. It was a place that offered freedom, but it also demanded that a man or woman face it
steadfastly, with physical hardiness, moral courage, and
firm resolve. The wilderness was a place where an
American might create his identity, meet his doom—or
both.
Unit 2 Resources: A Growing Nation
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
10
1. Underline the word that helps
explain disclosed. Name a
fact disclosed recently in the
news.
2. Circle the words that help
explain contradiction. Identify the prefix in contradiction
that indicates two things
being “against” each other.
3. Underline the words that
help explain prevalent. Identify an attitude you think is
prevalent in your school.
4. Name an antonym for
uppermost.
5. Explain why the early
Americans’ efforts had to be
strenuous. What is a synonym
for strenuous?
6. Circle the word that means
precaution. Name a common precaution that people
take in their daily lives.
7. Circle the words that explain
squeamish. Name something
about which many people are
squeamish.
8. Underline the words that
help explain steadfastly.
Describe a situation in which
someone acts steadfastly.
Name
Date
“The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving
Literary Analysis: Characterization
Characterization is the way a writer reveals and develops characters. With direct
characterization, the writer makes explicit statements about a character. With indirect
characterization, the writer makes statements that allow the reader to make inferences about
a character.
Examples: Tom Walker was a miserly fellow. (direct characterization)
Tom Walker fed his horse the bare minimum. (indirect characterization)
DIRECTIONS: The numbered items are examples of indirect characterization. The lettered items
are examples of direct characterization. On the line, write the letter of the item that has the same
meaning.
_____1. Passersby often heard her voice raised in arguments with her husband.
_____2. Tom sat down and had a comfortable conversation with Old Scratch.
_____3. The one thing Tom would not do was to become a slave-trader.
_____4. Tom refused to allow his debtor any more time, foreclosing on the home.
_____5. Seeing Old Scratch outside, Tom turned pale and his knees shook.
_____6. Tom’s wife urged him to do whatever he had to do in exchange for wealth.
_____7. Tom began to go to church every Sunday, praying loudly and strenuously.
_____8. Tom had his horse buried with his feet uppermost, so he would be ready for riding on
the last day, when the world would be turned upside down.
a. Tom was not afraid of the Devil.
b. Tom was a heartless money-lender.
c. Tom was afraid of the Devil.
d. Tom was outwardly religious.
e. Tom’s wife loved money more than she loved her husband.
f. Tom was not completely bad.
g. Tom was superstitious.
h. Tom’s wife was a quarrelsome woman.
Unit 2 Resources: A Growing Nation
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
11
Name
Date
“The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving
Selection Test A
Critical Reading Identify the letter of the choice that best answers the question.
1. Which answer choice shows that the third-person omniscient point of view is
used in “The Devil and Tom Walker”?
I. The narrator is not a character in the story.
II. Tom’s and his wife’s feelings are both described.
III. Tom argues with the Devil about the buried money.
IV. The narrator comments on the death of Captain Kidd.
A. I, II, III
B. II, III, IV
C. I, III, IV
D. I, II, IV
2. Based on “The Devil and Tom Walker,” what was one of the major social influences of this period that Irving criticized?
A. freedom of religion
B. striving for wealth
C. westward expansion
D. civil rights for Native Americans
3. In “The Devil and Tom Walker,” how does the writer show that Tom’s wife is
meant to represent many women rather than one specific woman?
A. Her character has no name.
B. She is a strong woman.
C. She is a Puritan.
D. Her character is fearless.
4. In “The Devil and Tom Walker,” why does Tom’s wife go off into the forest with
her best silver?
A. She hopes to sell it and leave Tom.
B. She is taking a gift to a relative.
C. She wants to deal with the Devil.
D. She plans to trade it for food.
5. Based on “The Devil and Tom Walker,” which of the following beliefs did the
Puritans of this time hold?
A. Husbands and wives are considered to be equal.
B. The Devil can sometimes take a human form.
C. You can always tell who is a respected businessman.
D. Those who say loud prayers are the truest worshippers.
Unit 2 Resources: A Growing Nation
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
19
Name
Date
6. Based on Tom’s behavior in “The Devil and Tom Walker,” which of these groups
did Irving likely support?
A. Salem witches
B. slave-traders
C. abolitionists
D. money-lenders
7. What most likely happens to Tom at the end of “The Devil and Tom Walker”?
A. He rides off to escape the anger of people to whom he loaned money.
B. The Devil kidnaps him to get his money and horses.
C. The Devil ends his life and takes him to hell.
D. He takes his riches and retires to another town.
8. Which of these sentences about “The Devil and Tom Walker” reflects the thirdperson omniscient point of view?
A. He saw a dark, coarsely dressed man sitting on a log.
B. Tom hoped to spite his wife and she hoped to outwit him.
C. Tom got rich by lending money to the townspeople.
D. I saw a name written on the bark of the huge tree.
Vocabulary
9. In which sentence is the meaning of the word parsimony expressed?
A. The Devil carried Tom off forever on his black horse.
B. Tom and his wife were equally greedy for riches.
C. The other worshippers suspected Tom’s false prayers.
D. Tom built a mansion but spent little to furnish it.
10. Tom had “long been picking his way cautiously through this treacherous
forest.” What is another word for treacherous?
A. sunny
B. shadowed
C. widespread
D. dangerous
Unit 2 Resources: A Growing Nation
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
20
Name
Date
Essay
11. In literature,
a one-dimensional
character is a person
who8 does
not change
or
Answer
each question
below in a well-developed
(at least
sentences)
and his
wellher basic
nature. Do
think
Tom and
wife
are
one-dimensional
characters
organized
paragraph
foryou
each
prompt.
You his
may
use
your
textbook.
who always act greedy in “The Devil and Tom Walker”? Why or why not? Write a
brief essay to give your opinion. Support it with at least two examples from the
story.
12. Do you think Tom Walker deserved his fate in “The Devil and Tom Walker,” based on
the kind of person he was and the job he held? Why or why not? Write a brief essay
to explain your point of view. Use at least two examples from the story to support
your opinion.
13. Thinking About the Essential Question: How does literature shape or reflect
society? Based on “The Devil and Tom Walker,” how do you think Washington
Irving and the Puritans felt about the amassing of great? wealth, or greed? Write a
brief essay using examples from the story to support your answer.
Make sure you do the following:
ü
Pick ONE side and stick with it! This means you should have a clear topic sentence in
which you state if you think Tom Walker deserved his fate (12) and how you think Washington
Irving and the Puritans felt about amassing of wealth and greed (13).
ü
Include at least three reasons for your argument. These reasons should include specific
details from the story.
ü
Write in the 3rd person. This means don't use the words "I" or "my" or “you.” Instead of
writing, "I think Tom Walker deserved his fate," you should write, "Tom Walker deserved his fate,
because..." Instead of writing, "In my opinion, Tom Walker and the Puritans were greedy and
endeavored to amass great wealth," you should write, "Tom Walker notices, 'On the bark of [a]
tree was scored the name of Deacon Peabody...who had waxed wealthy by driving shrewd
bargains with the Indians' (231), which is a symbol of how Puritans were greedy and endeavored
to amass great wealth."
ü
Include a quote from the story that supports your argument.
ü
Double-check your grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Please use this sentence starter for the beginning of each paragraph:
In the short story “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving, …
Unit 2 Resources: A Growing Nation
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
21