human intent and the aftermath of it

Human Intent and the Aftermath of It Washington Irving, in writing "The Devil and Tom Walker", and Stephen VincentBenet, in writing "The Devil and Daniel Webster" illustrate to the reader theconsequences of man's desire for material wealth and how a person's motivation for arelationship with the devil affects the outcome of the "deal". In these two different, yetsurprisingly similar narratives, the authors present their beliefs about human intent andmotive. In "The Devil and Tom Walker", the story is seen of a stingy man and his naggingwife who " were so miserly that they even conspired to cheat each other" (128). In thestory, one sees a man make a deal with the devil, who in the story is known as "OldScratch", for the sole purpose of personal gain. Tom Walker, seeing only the possiblewealth that he could achieve, bargains with the devil and finally reaches an agreementwhich he sees to be fair. Tom does not see the danger present in bargaining with sucha powerful force for so little gain. There is a note of humor present in the narrative,which adds to the sense of danger that is present making deals that one does notintend to keep. Commenting on the story, Larry L. Stevens notes that "This tale, ,comically presents the results of valuing the dollar above all else." This story does avery good job of conveying a message to the reader about human values. In the story Tom is seen as a very self-centered man who cares only for himself andhis own well being. He is not even phased when he discovers the remains of his wifehanging in a apron in a tree; "Tom consoled himself for the loss of his property with theloss of his wife" (132). Tom is portrayed in the story as being typical of many of thecitizens who lived in the town, many of who's names Old Scratch had carved into thebark of a tree near the Indian Fort. When the devil shows Tom a tree for a greedytownsperson, he fails to see that he is very much like that tree when he "looked in thedirection that the stranger pointed and beheld one of the great trees, fair andflourishing without, but rotten at the core" (130). As time passes after Tom has made his deal with the devil, and he is working as ausurer in Boston, squeezing every last cent out of the unlucky speculators that walkedthrough his door, Tom begins to wonder whether he made the right choice when hedealt with Old Scratch: "He thought with regret on the bargain he had made with hisblack friend, and set his wits to work to cheat him out of the conditions" (134). Tom'sdecision to attempt to cheat the devil becomes his downfall. Tom now begins a routineof attending a Church service and praying loudly for everyone to hear, and he outfitshimself with two Bibles which he thinks will protect him to the end. In a great ironyIrving tells of how Tom will put down his Bible for a few minutes while he forecloses amortgage of some poor borrower, and the resumes his reading when he is finished.Stevens recognized this irony and noted that "Irving has a keen eye for the ironies andcontradictions of human behavior." Irving presents the reader with the difficulty thatcan arise when intentions are based solely on personal gain. In the story, one seeshow Tom Walker's actions contradict each other in their meaning and purpose. It isseen in the story how Tom walker would show his devotion to the Church and to God,when he was truly only trying to protect himself from when the devil came to collectwhat was due. Stevens summarized Tom's actions by noting that " the tale clearlysatirizes those who make a public show of devotion while retaining meanness of spirit". Irving does a very good job of demonstrating the ill consequences that can and mostlikely will be a result of man's lack of caring, and possibly ignorance. Had Tom Walkerthought upon the deal more thoroughly, instead of jumping right into it, he most likelywould not have suffered the terrible outcome of the deal. If he had realized that thewealth that he would achieve would be useless to him in the end, he would probably beliving in his old house, unhappy and without a wife, but at least he would have had hisdignity, for he could know that he did not sink to such lows as to give up his soul for afew years of unhappy wealth. The humor present in the tale does help to add a bit ofliveliness to the narrative, keeping it from being completely dreary and having amelancholy-like mood. "While the selling of one's soul and the inhumaneconsequences of greed are significant, they become subjects for laughter throughIrving's character portrayals and his use of ironic understatement", insightfully notedStevens of this, one of Irving's finest works. In "The Devil and Daniel Webster", the reader learns the story of an extremelyunlucky New England farmer named Jabez Stone, who like Tom Walker, makes a dealwith the devil for personal gain. In the narrative, Jabez is frustrated with the illness ofhis wife, the condition of his animals, and his unproductive crops. Jabez inadvertentlysummons the devil and makes a deal with him, stipulating that Jabez would have greatsuccess in all his undertakings, and that in seven years time, he would relinquish hissoul to the devil, known in this story as "Scratch" or "Mr. Scratch". However when thetime comes for Jabez to give the devil what is legally his, he manages to bargain for athree year extension. When that time is almost over, Jabez employs the services of thenotes speaker Daniel Webster, who, in the end, wins for Jabez stone his freedom andmakes the devil put in writing that no New Hampshireman will be bothered by him againuntil "doomsday". There is one striking difference present between the two stories, and it is a verysignificant factor when analyzing the outcome of each character's separate bargains. That is the intentions that each one had when they made their deals. In "The Devil andTom Walker", Tom Walker bargains with the devil strictly for personal gain, withoutconsidering the needs of others. He does not see how his miserly ways are ruining himand he suffers severe consequences because of it. In "The Devil and Daniel Webster",Jabez Stone signs a contract with the devil to save his family from starvation. He wasthinking of others when he signed the contract, and not himself. That is what leads toWebster's strong point for his defense of Jabez Stone, "Then he turned to JabezStone an ordinary man who'd had hard luck and wanted to change it. And, becausehe'd wanted to change it, now he was going to be punished for all eternity" (641). The story is truly a credit to the true Daniel Webster, as David Peck eloquentlynoted: "The story tapped America's love for folklore and legend, , it re-created thestory of a genuine American hero." A "genuine American hero" is what Webster is trulyportrayed as in this narrative. Peck also noted that "The story is praise not only forDaniel Webster, however, but also for his country, for the two are inextricablyintertwined." This story also hints to the fact even though people may seem to be crueland hard on the outside, they can be truly caring and compassionate. The political andspiritual lessons to be learned from "The Devil and Daniel Webster" are those whichare very important to the existence and survival of every human being alive today. Both "The Devil and Tom Walker" and "The Devil and Daniel Webster" both arebeautifully written masterpieces of American literature that will undoubtedly becherished for generations of readers to come. This beauty comes from each authorsuniquely different American heritage which adds a certain flavor to each of the works. This is all summed up by Edward Wagenknecht in his "Washington Irving: ModerationDisplayed", in reference to the book in which "The Devil and Tom Walker" waspublished: "'The Devil and Tom Walker' is, , the finest narrative in this part of thebook". Works CitedAdventures in American Literature. Ed. Fannie Safier et al. Athena Edition. Austin: Holt, 1996.Benet, Stephen Vincent. "The Devil and Daniel Webster". in Adventures in American Literature. Ed. Fannie Safier et al. Athena Edition. Austin: Holt, 1996. 635-643.Discovering Authors. Macintosh. CD-ROM. Detroit: Gale Research, 1993.Irving, Washington. "The Devil and Tom Walker". in Adventures in American Literature. Ed. Fannie Safier et al. Athena Edition. Austin: Holt, 1996. 128-135.Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Vol. 2. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1989.Peck, David. Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Vol. 2. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1989. 575-578.Stewart, Larry L. Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Vol. 2. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1989. 579-581.Wagenknecht, Edward. "Washington Irving: Moderation Displayed". Oxford UP. 1962. 233. in Discovering Authors. Macintosh. CD-ROM. Detroit: Gale Research, 1993. 3. . Human Intent and the Aftermath of It Washington Irving, in writing " ;The Devil and Tom Walker", and Stephen VincentBenet, in writing " ;The Devil. the loss of his property with theloss of his wife" (132). Tom is portrayed in the story as being typical of many of thecitizens who lived in the town,