In The Devil and Tom Walker, the main character, Tom, becomes a usurer, or loan shark. These people loan money at extremely high interest rates.
"Old Scratch" offers Tom the riches of the swamp hidden by Captain Kidd in exchange for Tom's soul.
Tom Walker is a sinner and has never bothered with religion. His Bible after meeting the Devil was hidden underneath a pile of mortgage papers. Which symbolizes greed and moral decay. Clearly, Tom will take the Devil up on his offer at some point.
The woodsman scored the trees in the forest with names of wealthy and influential people in the town. These were all people who had made a deal with the Devil and owed him their souls.
A good example of stock characters are Tom Walker and his wife from the story "The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Devil_and_Tom_Walker
Name the story you refer to, or the question may get trashed for lack of information.
Tom refuses to be the slave trader in the service of the devil in the story "The Devil and Tom Walker." He rejects the offer and decides to pursue wealth through other means.
The satire of the story is Tom and his wifes marriage.
"Old Scratch" offers Tom the riches of the swamp hidden by Captain Kidd in exchange for Tom's soul.
At the end of "The Devil and Tom Walker," it is heavily implied that Tom's soul is taken by the devil, as he disappears without a trace and his belongings are reduced to ashes by the devil. This outcome is a consequence of Tom's greed and pact with the devil for wealth.
Tom = greeddevil = temptation
Tom Walker is a sinner and has never bothered with religion. His Bible after meeting the Devil was hidden underneath a pile of mortgage papers. Which symbolizes greed and moral decay. Clearly, Tom will take the Devil up on his offer at some point.
The antagonist in "The Devil and Tom Walker" is Old Scratch, also known as the Devil. He appears as a mysterious man who makes a bargain with Tom Walker, exchanging wealth and prosperity for his soul.
Tom Walker made a deal with the devil and spent his life ruled by greed and swindling money out of others. In the end, his greed and swearing in the devil's name allowed the devil to take him away, despite his religious fervor at the end of his life. Tom got what he should have anticipated, and probably what he deserved.
In "The Devil and Tom Walker," the devil asks for Tom Walker's soul as payment for granting him wealth and success. Tom refuses to give his soul, but the devil takes him to hell anyway.
who is old scratch in "The Devil and Tom Walker"
being a slave trader.
He makes a deal with the devil