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The Devil and Tom Walker

by Washington Irving

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Student Question

What do the metaphors "fever" and "patients" mean in Irving's description of land speculation?

Quick answer:

In Irving's description of land speculation, the metaphor "fever" represents the widespread greed and irrational drive to achieve quick wealth, likening it to a contagious sickness. The "patients" metaphor refers to those who, caught up in this frenzy, eventually face the harsh reality of their losses. When the speculative bubble bursts, these "patients" are cured by the truth of their worthless paper credit, while Tom Walker profits by seizing their assets.

Expert Answers

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Irving portrays land speculation as a sickness, "a fever", which infected the country with greed. He writes," . . .everybody was dreaming of making sudden fortunes for nothing." Someone who is sick needs a doctor and the doctor was reality. Once people realized their dreams were gone, they became "patients", and were given a good dose of reality when they discovered their paper credit was virtually worthless. Ironically, this proves to be a wonderful time for Tom Walker. As a money lender, he "accumulated bonds and mortgages" as collateral for the loans he made. When people couldn't pay back their loans, he seized their property and became rich.

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