What symbolism is represented by Tom Walker’s house, the swamp, darkness, and the buried Bible?
Interestingly, there are actually two houses you might discuss in "The Devil and Tom Walker," though both largely symbolize much the same thing: they are outward expressions of the internal dysfunction of their resident(s). The first house, in which Tom and his wife live in the beginning of the story, is described as:
a forlorn-looking house that stood alone and had an air of starvation. A few straggling savin-trees, emblems of sterility, grew near it; no smoke ever curled from its chimney; no traveller stopped at its door (Washington Irving)
Later, he builds a mansion, described in the following terms:
He built himself, as usual, a vast house, out of ostentation, but left the greater part of it unfinished and unfurnished, out of parsimony.
In each case, the houses are described as exuding an atmosphere of misery, a description that reflects the misery of Tom Walker himself (and...
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in the first house, the misery of both Tom and his wife, trapped in their dysfunctional marriage).
Meanwhile, the swamp symbolizes evil and moral corruption. It is a threatening, inhospitable place, and, as we learn, a home to the devil. It is within the swamp that Tom has his encounters with the devil, and it is there that he sells his soul. Much like the symbolism of the houses, these symbols of moral corruption mirror the moral corruption already present within Tom Walker himself.
There is recurring imagery surrounding darkness which, much like the imagery of the swamp, represents moral corruption and evil. In fact, it's difficult to separate the imagery of the swamp from these images of darkness. Consider how the description of the swamp itself, "thickly grown with great, gloomy pines and hemlocks, some of them ninety feet high" (Washington Irving), stresses that imagery of darkness. Similar imagery is invoked in association with the devil. We find darkness as a recurring thematic motif, with a sinister presence across the story.
Finally, there is the image of the Bible beneath the mortgage, an image which is invoked when the devil returns to take Tom's soul. Interestingly, however, this particular image reinforces an earlier example of symbolic imagery, with Washington Irving writing:
He had also a great folio Bible on his counting-house desk, and would frequently be found reading it when people called on business; on such occasions he would lay his green spectacles in the book, to mark the place, while he turned round to drive some usurious bargain
There is a basic conflict at the center of these scenes. On the one hand, Irving tells us that Tom Walker is afraid for the state of his soul (in fact, Irving writes that "Tom had a lurking dread that the devil, after all, would have his due"). However, even if this is the case, he continues to act in service to evil, despite his fears of the devil and his outward shows of piety. His faith isn't sincere, and it can't save him from the devil.
What is the symbolism of the house, swamp, darkness, and Bible in "The Devil and Tom Walker"?
1. The Walkers' house: Their house represents the barrenness in their marriage. Tom and his wife barely tolerate each other; so their desolate house and land illustrate the lack of life in their relationship. In fact, their grounds are so unwelcoming that travelers passing by needing a place to stay would rather walk on and risk a night without shelter than approach the Walker home.
2. The swamp: Irving begins his story with a description of the swamp which symbolizes Tom's moral morass resulting from his deal with the devil. He so badly wants material goods like the pirate's treasure (rumored to be in the swamp) that he is willing to "wade" into the figuratively murky depths of being a usurer.
3. Darkness: Similar to Irving's other stories which satirize Puritan superstitions and beliefs about the devil, this story relies on darkness to cover the devil's deeds (namely his deal with Tom Walker). Tom must enter into the darkness of the forest in order to bargain away his soul.
4. The Bible: After Tom has accumulated material wealth, he becomes religious when he realizes that the afterlife can't be too far away for him. Ironically for him, when the devil sends his "black fellow" to pick up Tom for his meeting with destiny, Tom is about to foreclose on a poor man's home mortgage (my, how appropriate this story is for our economy today!). When Tom recognizes who has shown up on his doorstep, he
"[shrinks] back, but too late. He had left his little bible at the bottom of his coat pocket, and his big bible on the desk buried under the mortgage he was about to foreclose."
Irving uses this scene to demonstrate that Tom's work for the devil (squeezing as much money as he possibly could out of his fellowmen) has overshadowed any real concern that he once had for his soul's fate (hence, the Bible covered by the mortgage).
What are the symbols in "The Devil and Tom Walker"?
First, it should be noted that this story is an allegory meant to represent a larger or morally significant idea. The moral in this story is that of greed and the negative consequences of it. What happens to Tom Walker is symbolic of what can happen to any human consumed by greed - he/she will lose their soul to the obsession.
More specifically, the woods in this story are a symbol of Tom and his conscience. The woods are dark and hard to navigate. It would be easy to get lost in them. Similarly, Tom's conscience is dark and muddled. He easily gets lost in it, lost in the greed for money and power, and this makes him susceptible to "getting lost". He loses to the power of the devil.