Comparative Analysis Of Mark Twain’s The Celebrated Jumping Frog Of Calaveras County And Washington Irving’s The Devil And Tom Walker

Mark Twain’s “The Celebrated jumping Frog of Calaveras County”, which focuses on the idea that one doesn’t have to be intelligent, makes allusions. Washington Irving’s “The Devil and Tom Walker”, however, better explains how greed can lead moral corruption through symbolism and allegory. “The Celebrated Jogging Frog Of Calaveras County” is set in Angels Camp. Here, a man from East comes to visit. Simon Wheeler, a friend’s request, asks the narrator to look for Leonidas W.Smiley. Wheeler instead of providing the requested information, he launches into a long tale about Jim Smiley. Jim Smiley would take any chance. This story demonstrates that intelligence does not require education. Smiley had bet Andrew Jackson to death and Wheeler said, “It wasn’t necessary to be educated to be clever.” His clever tactic won him many dogfights. He was eventually paired with a dog with no hind legs. This dog, who was thought to be worthless, proved everyone wrong. He was intelligent and clever during fights. Twain is a clever use of allusion when he names the dog Andrew Jackson after the 7th president, and former general. Both Jackson and the dog were well-known for their toughness and unstoppability in battle. Andrew Jackson’s intelligence was not what made him famous, but his determination and perseverance, especially during his presidency. Smiley had prepared a frog for the stranger after he filled Smiley’s vase with quail shots. Wheeler was talking to Smiley about Smiley. The stranger then touched up the frogs and Dan’l gave an audible heave. Smiley was quite surprised and was also disgusted by the situation, but he still knew what it was. Twain’s quote shows how uninformed and oblivious Smiley was. He even left his frog which he had trained for 3 months. The story doesn’t tell much about the person, but it does reveal that he is very intelligent. The stranger won the bet by putting the quail shot in Dan’l Webster. Smiley believed he was smart enough to train his frog with someone who was unfamiliar. The stranger was handling a frog from the outside, and he thought that he would win the bet instantly and get money. But he was completely fooled. Smiley didn’t even realize what was happening until his frog ate some quail shots. At that point, it was too late. Twain used allusion to name the frog Dan’l Webster in reference to Daniel Webster. Twain uses this allusion because the frog as well the statesman are both known for being brilliant. The intelligence and mastery demonstrated by the frog could have won the wager against the stranger. Smiley’s ignorance and stupidity led to the end of the story. The devil takes the form and protection of several people after Kidd’s suicide. Irving then refers to Tom Walker, who Irving calls a “miser”. He is a complete jerk to everyone, even his wife. His wife, who suffers from the same problems as him, verbally abuses Tom and is often rumored to be physically abusive. Tom, on his way home from work, decides to walk through the swamp. He sits down on a log and rests. Soon Tom is confronted with an old man with a pale face, identified as Old Scratch. He offers Tom money in return for “certain conditions.” Tom returns home to discuss the offer. He is convinced by her. Tom, who is miserly, hesitates to accept the invitation because he doesn’t want any of the wealth to be shared with his wife. She is furious and decides to go to “Old Scratch” by herself. After a few days, she decides to leave. Tom went searching in the woods for his wife, but all he found was her liver and heart. Tom is pleased about the death of his wife because he will be able to make his “Old Scratch’ deal and not share any wealth. Tom accepts the offer to become a corrupt usurer after his conversation with Satan. He is wealthy and corrupt, and he departs Boston. Tom visits church to seek forgiveness years later, fearing that he will be punished for his actions. Tom carries a Bible with him everywhere, in an attempt to ward off the old scratch. Tom is taken to the Indian fort and thrown on the horse. The story’s theme is that greed can lead moral corruption. Irving uses symbolism and allegory to reveal the theme. The devil symbolizes temptation. Tom and his wife represent greed. Later, Tom represents hypocrisy after seeking redemption at the church. Irving then shows that Irving will punish him. Tom is drawn to the dark, murky woods with their many quagmires as a symbol of his evil conscience. It begins with the statement, “He had an equally miserly wife; they were so miserly they even conspired against cheating each other.” Irving illustrates the dangers of greed in damaging relationships. Tom Walker and his partner, Mary Walker, were terrible to each other and had terrible thoughts about their greed. Later, Tom’s last words to his wife were “The Devil Takes Me If I Have Made A Farthing!”. Irving illustrates the theme through this quote. It shows Tom as a liar. A cheater. A miser. And a man who has lost all his morality. Tom calls out to the devil for redemption at this point.

“The Devil And Tom Walker” was able to develop its theme of greed may lead to moral corruption more effectively than “The Celebrated Springing Frog in Calaveras County”, which tried to implement its theme through two very different scenarios. The story ended with the dog losing a battle. The dog’s death proved that even though he was not educated, he was clever and clever. Irving used a variety of literary devices to create the theme and then incorporated them all into the final product to make it clearer and more understandable to the reader. Tom Walker is presented here as someone who has been morally corrupt. However, the action of “The Devil, Tom Walker”, shows how moral and moral corruption lead to greater corruption. Tom can only see the crisis in his life when he stops to think about the afterlife. He also commits moral corruption by his conversion to Christianity, which was made for his own personal gain rather than his faith and belief in God. Tom can’t escape his fate and Irving makes clear that it is not.

Mark Twain’s “The Celebrated jumping Frog of Calaveras Country”, although it does a wonderful job of explaining the theme that one doesn’t have to be intelligent to be clever by allusion, is outclassed by Washington Irving’s” “The Devil and Tom Walker” which explores how greed can lead moral corruption through symbolism and allegory.