Monday, November 7, 2011

What does Old Scratch offer Tom, and what does he want in return?

The entire conversation between the devil and Tom Walker is not disclosed; rather, Washington Irving recalls the events as a distant storyteller relating hearsay.  But, he does give some details, and if we read closely, we can piece things together.  Tom and the devil converse for quite some time, and during their discussion, the devil lets Tom know of a huge sum of money buried by a lost pirate, that "he offered to place within Tom Walker's reach."  So at its minimum, the devil offers Tom huge sums of money that would solve all of his money woes, and his heart's desires.  However, the money is not free.  It came with "certain conditions" that Tom must really think over before deciding.  Later on in the story, it is hinted that the conditions were that Tom had to turn over his "soul" in the bargain.


After Tom's wife disappears, he decides to take the devil up on his offer, and spends his life with tons of money, but not much happiness.  At the end of his life, he regrets his actions and tries to stave off the agreement that he made, to no avail.  It is a classic story of greed and avarice, with the moral being that it never leads to happiness, but only to misery.  I hope those thoughts helped; good luck!

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