In the short story “The Devil and Tom Walker,” Tom makes the poor decision to deal with the devil so he can become wealthy (Irving 9). However, the devil has a hefty price for Tom’s fortune, his soul. Now, at first Tom puts the consequences of his deal on the back burner of his mind, but as he starts to age Tom attempts to become religious in order to thwart the devil (Irving 11). Nevertheless, Tom’s plan fails and the devil collects his payment, “The black man whisked him [Tom] like a child astride the horse and away he galloped in the midst of a thunderstorm” (Irving 13). Considering, Tom’s wealth coming at the price of the devil collecting his soul despite trying to prevent it from occurring, the story’s plot creates the theme of everything
