In exchange for the pirate’s treasure, Tom becomes a usurer. … He has a pair of great red eyes. The devil claims patronage of all corrupt and morally reprehensible enterprises, such as slave trading and religious persecution. Tom Walker: greed and hypocrisy. ... What examples of Old Scratch inferred that it was the traditional devil • he had soot covered skin •has red eyes He goes to find Old Scratch, and they haggle about business; Old Scratch insists that money found through his means should be employed in his service. One evening, he meets the devil Old Scratch in a Massachusetts swamp, who offers Tom the long-dead Captain Kidd ’s long-buried treasure in exchange for Tom’s immortal soul. Tom Walker is considered one of Washington Irving’s least likeable characters. Old Scratch offers Tom the hidden treasure and wants his soul in return. Old Scratch is extremely manipulative and cunning. He despises his miserly, abusive wife and has nothing to live for but the satisfaction of … Click to see full answer Considering this, what type of … meets Tom in the woods and tries to make a deal with him, meets Tom's wife and kills her leaving her liver and heart tied up in her apron in a tree, eventually makes an agreement with Tom, which later leads to him coming to claim Tom's soul "The Devil and Tom Walker" is a quintessential early American piece of literature that demonstrates good versus evil. Set in New England in the 1700s, Walker selling his soul to the devil for treasure is one horrific component to this story that may seem everything but romantic. Tom Walker is a poor man as well as a greedy one. This can be considered a “mark of the devil,” which shows Tom’s allegiance to the devil over God. He lives with his wife and suffers through daily arguments with her. Character Analysis in The Devil and Tom Walker The characters in “The Devil and Tom Walker” are consumed by greed to the point of self-destruction. The devil is a tricky character, who only makes bargains when he is sure to benefit. Also called Old Scratch and other names, he harvests the souls of sinners and tempts greedy men and women into sinful dealings. In “Tom Walker,” Old Scratch personifies temptation, which has existed ostensibly since the Garden of Eden, providing a colorful and dramatic way to present a character’s conflict between choosing good and evil. 3. Source(s) The Devil and Tom Walker He was hired to watch over Kidd's treasure, but he sneakily offers it up to Tom -- for a price. In Washington Irving's short story "The Devil and Tom Walker," Tom Walker is a meager, hard-minded, and miserly man. Walker agrees readily, without really considering what he is expected to pay in return—his soul. In Washington Irving's short story "The Devil and Tom Walker," the protagonist, Tom Walker, is described as a "meagre, miserly" fellow who conspires to cheat his wife—who is equally as meagre and miserly as he is! Tom and his wife are both miserly, grasping, mean-spirited, and without conscience. Tom is hesitant to sell his soul at first and However, the devil refuses to appear again until Tom is desperate for money and finally makes an official pact. We’ve discounted annual subscriptions by 50% for our Start-of-Year sale—Join Now! Old Scratch 4. It is said he guards Captain Kidd ’s treasure, for he guards all treasure, especially that which is acquired immorally. Source(s) The Devil and Tom Walker This stronghold has infiltrated the lore of Tom Walker's society, which claims that the land represents war and violence and that Native Americans made sacrifices to an “Evil Spirit” there. 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