29 pages 58 minutes read

Stephen Vincent Benét

The Devil and Daniel Webster

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1937

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

How does Benét’s Scratch compare to the devil figures in other Faust legends, such as Goethe’s Faust or Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus?

2.

Consider the grounds on which Scratch claims to be an American citizen. In addition to citing America’s sins as proof of citizenship, Scratch references the prevalence of the Devil in American culture and religion. What is the significance of this in light of the story’s overall themes?

3.

How does “The Devil and Daniel Webster” compare to the 1941 film of the same name?