The Devil and Tom Walker vs. The Devil Went Down to Georgia

The Devil and Tom Walker and The Devil Went Down to Georgia are both pieces of American literature that share a story of selling souls. The Devil and Tom Walker is a short story written by Washington Erving. This tells a story of a Boston man selling his soul for money and in the long run the Devil wins and sends him to hell. However, The Devil Went Down to Georgia is a song by The Charlie Daniel's Band where Johnny, a boy from Georgia, is challenged to a fiddle battle by the Devil. Johnny wins with a reward of a fiddle of gold. Although they both follow the Faust legend, the short story tells of grump greedy man who looses his soul and goes to hell. The song however, the Devil looses the battle, his golden fiddle and is not allowed to return to Georgia. Both of these stories share of Satan visiting America, but Washington's story tells of him coming to Boston. In The Devil Went Down to Georgia, Satan visits the Deep South, Georgia. These visitations however, were not close in timing at all. The short story takes place in the eighteenth century. Charlie Daniel's song was released in the laste seventies and appears to be told much more modern. Although these stories have similar characteristics, I see these as two completely different stories, but nevertheless, both very entertaining.