Washington Irving

Washington Irving Questions from teacher:

✧Q1. Why is Tom walker and the Devil a romantic

story?

General Features of Romanticism

1. Stressing emotion rather than reason, intuitive perception, subjectivity in form and meaning, Imagination

2. Stressing freedom and individuality;

3. Idealism rather than materialism

4. Writing about nature, medieval legends and with supernatural elements——The legend of Captain Kidd , the devil

5. The quest for pure beauty

6. Simplicity：turned to the humble people and the everyday life，adopted the everyday language

✧Q2. Why he refuses the deal at the beginning?

1. Tom Walker thought these conditions very hard to accept and he need time to think about.

2. Tom Walker didn't believe the devil and what he said. From the passage we can see, Tom said to the devil,

"What proof have I that all you have been telling me is true?"(page 56 ,line 7) and only when he got home, his wife told him the sudden death of Absalom did he start to believe the devil.

3. At first, Tom Walker didn’t want his wife get these interests and when his wife urged him to make a deal with the devil，he chose not to please her and became more sure about his decision.

4. The last, I think maybe in his heart, there is consciousness and kindness still. We know finally he regretted about his decision.

Questions from other groups:

Q3. How do you evaluate the character of Tom walker?

Good or bad?

Of course, he is a bad person.

1. He is a miser, which means he rarely spends

money even when he should. He doesn't give anything to anyone, even himself.

2. He is greedy, It is because of greed that Tom

agrees to sell his soul to the devil. Of course, greed is also what ends Tom's life. He is greedy to keep a pious exterior(虔诚的表象) because he is frightened

of his own fate.

3. He is hypocritical(虚伪的), he has no problem

swindling people out of their money through the guise of a moneylender.

However, he is a conscience in some degree，because the Devil himself could not tempt him to turn slaver trade.

Q4. Do you think what makes Tom Walker and his wife live together for such a long time even though they always quarrled and cheated each other?

1．Tom walker is scared of his wife more than the devil.

2．Tom's wife can't find another man like Tom