Tom walker and the devil.

  Tom walker was a selfish man. He cared more about money than anything else. Including his wife, which she was just like tom. I can infer this because in the story the author said that "They were miserly". This would be a direct. She argue and fought with tom. I can infer this by the author stating that "He voice was usually heard in a wordy warfare with her husband". It would be an direct. Tom and his wife are very poor and have a horse that is half way dead. The horse is starving and desperate for someone to take him away from his starvation. I know this because in the story it said that "He looked piteously at the passer by, and seem to petition deliverance from this land of famine". I believe that this would be direct. One day tom decides to take a walk in a strange pathway. The pathway leads to a forest. In the forest he found this Indian hut and a skeleton with a weapon in it. At a strange looking tree there was a man standing. The man name is old scratch and he is known as the devil. I can infer this because the story says that "You are they commonly called old scratch" and "The same at your service!" replied the black man, with a civil nod". These are both direct. I also think that old scratch is the devil because in the story it stated "He was dressed in a rude, half indian garb, and a red belt or sash swathed round his body, but his face was neither black nor copper color, but swarthy and dingy and begrimed with soot, as if he accustomed to toil among fires and forges". This statement would be indirect. Old scratch makes deals with people for their souls. The most common deal he makes is with people who are greedy for money. A long time ago old scratch made a deal with a pirate by the name of Captain Kidd. The devil told Captain Kidd that he will guard the treasure in exchange of his soul. He accepted this offer and grew old. Later died and never got a chance to return to the treasure. Old scratchy offered a deal to Tom. The deal was that the devil would give tom this treasure in an exchange of his soul. Tom thinks about this deal and returns home. He kept thinking about this deal, so he figured that he would talk to his wife about it. He caught his wife attention when he mentions gold. Being that tom and his wife is just alike she goes to this forest and tries to bargain the devil with supplies from the house. She never returned so tom decided to go and look for her. He found her apron with her heart and liver inside of it. Tom was not sad because all his wife did was abuse him. In fact he thought what the devil did was a good thing. I can infer this because it said that "He even felt something like gratitude towards the black woodsman, who he considered had done him a kindness". This statement would be direct. So he made his decision and agreed to accept the devils offer. Tom became a usurer and toke a lot of money from people. He was like a slave trader. Tom never gets tired of gypping people out of their money until he started to get afraid of afterlife. Tom begins to study the bible and become more prune to God. One day a man comes to tom and ask for mercy. He told tom that he had taken a lot of money from him. Tom gets upset and told the man that if he gives him money the devil will come after him. Later that day a strong knock occurred and it was the devil. I can infer this because it stated "A black man was holding a black horse which neighed and stamped with impatience". Tom struggles looking for his bible that he had left on his desk. It was too late the devil toke tom and every since then he was never heard from. Nothing remained from tom not even his house because it was burned down.

   The Theme of this story is to never pick the greed for money over anything. Tom and his wife was very hateful and cared about nothing but money. Sometimes money isn't everything. You have to look at the brighter things in life. I think that the devil represented himself. He goes for the people who are weak and only loves themselves. Tom has gotten what he deserves because he was so greedy he didn't care about the poor peoples depths. Sometimes taking things from others isn't the best route to go. Would people really sell their souls to the devil just for money?