Border Country
Benet’s story is overloaded with irony; it drips from literally almost every page. Take the opening line: “It’s a story they tell in the border country, where Massachusetts joins Vermont.” The trial that is at the heart of the narrative turns on the argument presented by the counsel for the defense. That argument eschews evidence and instead appeals to the emotions and that emotion is based on the spirit of the American character. Webster even declares “I’d go to the Pit itself to save the Union!” Reference is made to the Union throughout and the case quite literally comes down to convincing the traitors making up the jury that even they contributed to making America great. And yet the story opens with a reference to “border country” as states were individually sovereign rather than mere parts of a unified whole.
Jabez Stone
Jabez Stone is a symbolic portrait of the American identity and the real antithesis to the devil. He is the industrious hard-working Yankee who minds his own business, but is always there when help is needed. And yet—and here is where the story turns from being stupid with irony to razor-sharp with irony—it is not that irrefutable history of hard work which finally brings him success. Hard work actually takes quite an ironic flogging in this story. After all, it is only through the intervention of the devil himself that the hard work of Jabez finally pays off.
A Jury of No One's Peers
The jury in the Stone v. Devil takes even less time than the People v. OJ to come to a decision. The not guilty verdict that is rendered is one self-confessed to not exactly be in accordance with the evidence. So, in the other words, the story is one about an American hero defending an iconic representative of America who is victorious in a trial not because of, but in spite of the evidence rendered by a jury not of peers, but of the worst that the Union has ever had to offer.
The Devil?
When it comes right down to it, the devil in this story is a fairly ironic portrait of the prince of evil. In the first place, it’s not exactly as if he uses every means at his disposal to get Jabez to sell his soul. And it’s not as if he tries to trick Jabez in order to collect early; he holds up his end of the bargain. Then when he’s taken to court for what amounts to pretty much the definition of a frivolous lawsuit he doesn’t even complain. He even lets the defense attorney set the guidelines for choosing the jury. As far as actual acts go, it seems downright ironic to even call this guy the devil.
Jabez Wins
The irony that Jabez actually wins his suit cannot be underestimated as previously indicated. His case has no legal standing and the verdict is rendered without any evidence to support his claim. What really makes Jabez’s victory in court ironic, however, is the extent to which it stands in opposition to the story’s underlying premises concerning America. Jabez makes the assertion that he is a religious man, yet enters a deal with the devil. America is extolled as a place where success is not dependent upon status or class or birthright, but merely working hard, yet he only achieves success through cheating. The jury ruling in his favor is not a portrait of the legal system working on the basis of rational thought by honest people making judgments on careful consideration of the evidence, but is an irrational decision made by enemies of the state who have already proven infamously that their judgment cannot be trusted.
