Like most of Irving's stories, "The Devil and Tom Walker" is a satire; so because the author is mocking Puritan beliefs and superstitions, hypocritical church members, greedy husbands and wives, etc., humor is a necessity to assure that the audience knows that the piece is satirical. Irving's exaggeration of the level of greed and dislike in the Walker marriage is humorous, but it also illuminates problems that Irving saw in marriages and the consequences of greed.
While it is also amusing that Walker is so concerned about the devil coming for his soul after he becomes a usurer that he carries around a Bible and wants his horse buried upside down, Irving uses his humor in this section of the story to point out the hypocrisies in people who are openly religious but inwardly immoral.
In short, the story's humor advances Irving's satirical tone and themes.
No comments:
Post a Comment