Exploring the Devil's Role in American Literature

Introduction

Evil, like water, comes in many shapes and forms. You may imagine the devil having primarily red skin and horns, but, thankfully, we ́ve never seen a human with these features to go off on for reference, but thanks to the brilliant minds of American authors we are able to receive a varying scale of descriptions. From Stephen King's The Stand even to Mark Twain's The Mysterious Stranger the devil is depicted in very different forms, but is still portrayed evil. The devil is a plot device in American history for depicting evil but is given different forms and characteristics.

Depiction of the Devil in American Literature

First, let's dissect how the devil acts in American literature. In the story The Devil and Tom Walker the devil was a threatening dirty-faced keeper of lost pirate treasure and was willing to make a deal with the protagonist Tom. The Devil would give Tom the treasure if he promised to serve him as a usurer. At the end of the story, Tom has become an avid churchgoer and showed was nearing the end of his money-loaning business, in which the devil comes to kill him. So far the devil in this story is depicted as off-putting yet reasonable, but how could Tom have known he would still be alive to lurk after him if he gave up his end of the deal? No matter how the Devil is still the antagonist. His only purpose was to wait until Tom slipped and punish him for his greed.

Next in The Legend of Stingy Jack. the main character, Jack, invited the Devil to have a drink, but once the bill came he attempted to trick the devil once jack was caught stealing the devil promised that once Jack said he would not take his soul to hell if he did not bother the devil for one year. Once Jack died God would not let him into heaven, but the devil would not let him into hell. So, with no place to go, Jack was forced to roam the Earth with no destination. Although Jack seems like the wrongdoer in the story, he was still made a deal with the devil. If it were not for him being so adamant about keeping a little pocket change he would have not been left to wander the earth. The Devil is also to blame for playing such a childish and petty game with Jack. Instead of letting him come to hell, he damned him to an eternity of roaming so dark a plane of existence.

Conclusion

Opposed to European literature like Dante's Inferno, the devil is more of a force of unexplainable evil whose existence is to torture the souls of hell. Not concerned with what they did in their mortal lives, but the fact that they are merely in a place of punishment. The American use of the Devil is more of an extension of the human conscience and guilt, only there to lure in the main character with earthly goods. The devil showers them with sins like Sloth or Lust and proceeds to punish them.