Comparison and Contrast of Washington Irving's "The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow" and "The Devil and Tom Walker". On character, setting, and conflicts. compare evils of two stories through the actions of the Devil and Horseman. Washington Irving's purpose for writing The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and The Devil and Tom Walker was not merely tell tales of communities and their problems with outsiders or the uncommon, but to enlighten his readers of a different type …showed first 75 words of 2716 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2716 total… that they often are Lucifer themselves in a sense. Conflicts in Washington's tales, often brought about by corruptness of the settings and characters, enslave his characters to the point of their demise. In the stories The Devil and Tom Walker and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, evil is the main focus, and Irving's use of the evil in every aspect of the story further aids in the explanation of how evil the world is.