The Devil, or Old Scratch as he is called in the story, initially tries to persuade Tom to become a slave-trader. Tom says that even the Devil himself could not persuade him to partake of such an enterprise, which is a reflection of the Romantic writer's awareness of and belief in democracy. What Tom ultimately agrees to is to become a usurer, one who lends money at exhorbitant interest rates. He trades his soul for a guarantee that he will be rich. Once he gains his riches, he spends the rest of his life looking over his shoulder wondering when the Devil will come to collect his part of the debt. He tries going to church as penance for what he has done, but inevitably, the Devil comes and collects on his deal and carries Tom away on horseback.
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