Why is the setting important in the Legend of Sleepy Hollow?
The setting of Sleepy Hollow, New York, is significant because one of the story’s major themes is the conflict between “country” people and “city” people. If it were a city, or even a larger town, Brom Bones’s Headless Horseman trick would not have worked against Ichabod Crane.
What was the setting in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?
The story is set in 1790 in the countryside around the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town (historical Tarrytown, New York), in a secluded glen known as Sleepy Hollow.
How does Washington Irving describe the setting?
It is “forlorn-looking” with “an air of starvation.” Irving describes it as a sterile place marked by “straggling savin trees.” The savin juniper is a low-maintenance shrub and is certainly symbolic of the neglectful ways of Tom Walker since it seems to be the only thing which will grow in the vicinity of his house.
Why are Tom and his wife unhappy?
Why are Tom and his wife unhappy? They fight about money. Irving implements satire when he describes Tom in the following passage. “Tom was a hard-minded fellow, not easily daunted, and he had lived so long with a termagant wife that he did not even fear the devil.”
What is the main reason Tom agrees to the devil’s terms?
What Tom ultimately agrees to is to become a usurer, one who lends money at exhorbitant interest rates. He trades his soul for a guarantee that he will be rich. Once he gains his riches, he spends the rest of his life looking over his shoulder wondering when the Devil will come to collect his part of the debt.
Why does Tom initially refuse the devil’s bargain?
Why does Tom initially refuse the devil’s bargain? It is after he gets home and tells his wife about the incident. However Tom might have felt disposed to sell himself to the devil, he was determined not to do so to contradict his wife. So, just to spite her, Tom refuses.
What do the devil’s trees in the swamp represent?
Describe the devil’s trees. The trees of the wooded and swamp area symbolized the land owners, slave drivers, and colonists that have taken the land from the Native Americans. They were all sinners that had made deals with the devil for their own greed and material desires.
What does Tom’s new house symbolize in The Devil and Tom Walker?
Tom’s house represents the ostentatious side of greed as Tom shows himself to be wealthy, while the lack of furnishings shows the more practical side of greed that withholds unnecessary expenditure. When Tom grows rich as a usurer, he builds himself a house that reflects his greedy and miserly character.
Is Tom Walker a hypocrite?
Tom Walker, an unscrupulous money-lender, makes a pact with the devil and only later professes religious beliefs; through these actions, Tom represents religious hypocrisy, which Irving shows will be punished.
What does the devil represent in The Devil and Tom Walker?
The Devil = evil, temptation, and the road to hell. The Swamp = the shorcut full of “pits and quagmires,” in other words this is a trap. Trees=look good on the outside, but rotten at the core. Chopped wood=ready to be burned.
What does the devil symbolize?
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force.
What does Tom’s wife do after he talks to her about the Devil’s offer?
What does Tom’s wife do after he talks to her about the Devil’s offer? She decides to strike a deal of her own. The Devil rejects her, so she takes all of the household valuables to give him an offering.
What does Tom’s new house symbolize?
Tom’s new house is descibed as being showy on the outside, but empty on the inside. The new house symbolizes the idea of false appearances. In the story it states that “He built himself, as usual, a vast house, out of ostentation, but left the greater part of it unfinished and unfurnished, out of parsimony.”
Why does Tom begin to feel an affinity for the Devil?
Why does Tom begin to feel an affinity for the Devil? He is relieved that his wife is gone. He realizes the Devil is his only friend. Tom recognizes that his wife was not the most pleasant woman and makes up for his loss of property by being grateful for the loss of his wife.
What does Tom symbolize?
Tom is a character with few redeeming qualities. He represents the worst aspects of the super-rich in American society whose money insulates them from the normal constraints of law or morality.
How are the walker’s horses described?
It is a tall horse with a long neck. The head is well-defined, with small, well-placed ears. While the horses are famous for flashy movement, they are popular for trail and pleasure riding as well as show. The Tennessee Walking Horse is best known for its running-walk.
How many FTE jobs are provided by the equine industry?
The industry directly provides 460,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs. Spending by suppliers and employees generates additional jobs for a total employment impact of 1.4 million FTE jobs. The horse industry pays $1.9 billion in taxes to all levels of government.