The short story "The Devil and Daniel Webster" by Steven Vincent Benet tells of a farmer from New Hampshire named Jabez Stone, who is having such a hard time that he makes a deal to sell his soul to the Devil in return for seven years of prosperity. He manages to get an extension of three years, but the time goes by fast. In desperation, Stone gets the famous lawyer Daniel Webster to plead his case against the Devil.

The Devil arrives to collect Stone, and Webster demands a trial. The Devil stacks the jury full of damned sinners, and Webster argues his case. He emphasizes the importance of freedom, and he tells the jury that Stone is a good man who simply had some bad luck. In the end, the jury argues for the defendant, Stone. The justice, Walter Butler, declares, "Even the damned may salute the eloquence of Mr. Webster." Webster then wrestles the Devil and forces him to sign a document saying he will never bother Stone or anyone else from New Hampshire ever again.

The climax of a story is the point at which it reaches its highest point of tension. It is the culmination of its rising action. The climax in "The Devil and Daniel Webster" is the speech that Webster gives at the end during the trial. This is followed by the resolution, which is the giving of the verdict.