Mitchner 1
Daren Mitchner Jr.
Ms. Stern
English W170
20 September 2018
Two Stories, Two Depictions
Washington Irving’s “The Devil and Tom Walker” and Stephen Vincent Benét’s “The
Devil and Daniel Webster” each persuade the reader to stay away from the Devil no matter how
kind he appears or how terrible life is in the moment. The purpose of the Devil in these stories is
to represent how he can manipulate those who feel their life is at an all-time low with no hope to
come and act as if he is the savior to their problems, giving those struggling an opportunity to
make life much easier or better. Examples of how the Devil behaves and feels toward the human
