From the pen of Geoffrey Crayon

Since the beginning of time, people have said to one another, "Tell me a story."  Many of these stories have been folktales. Most folktales contain common elements, such as subtle humor, stereotypical or stock characters, moral themes, eerie or strange settings, and rumor-based or word-of-mouth information. "The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving, who used the pen name Geoffrey Crayon,  is classified as an American folktale. Select any two elements of folktales and explain how the incorporation of these elements added to the story. How did these elements help the story?  (This post closes at midnight on Thursday, November 6, 2014.)