Comparing Romanticism In The Devil And Tom Walker

What is Romanticism? Romanticism was a movement in the 19th century in where art, literature, and music experienced a growth in not only popularity, but also creativity, in the form of intuition, inspiration, imagination, individuality, and idealism. There are many characteristics of Romanticism that can be recognized within many aspects of literature. The few characteristics that are widely common in literature will be shown here. In the short story “The Devil and Tom Walker,” written by Washington Irving, the characteristic of Romanticism that is prominent throughout the story is symbolism. “He thought with regret on the bargain he had made with his black friend (Devil), and set his wits to work to cheat him out of the conditions. He became, therefore, all of a sudden, a violent churchgoer.” (358) Tom Walker didn’t want to spend his time as a usurer for the rest of his life, so he became a forceful and extremist Christian to ward off the Devil. Symbolism is important because it requires the reader to delve into the true meaning of what he/she is reading.
“The scarlet stains upon the body, and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow men. And the whole seizure progress, and termination of the disease were the incidents of half an hour.” (456) The conditions of those afflicted with the disease, were so horrifying that other people, even doctors, would not try to cure the patient, since the disease killed too quickly for anyone to help. Death is important to Dark Romanticism (Gothic literature), because it shows the reader that life can be taken in disgusting ways sometimes, which makes life be appreciated