Tom Walker first meets the Devil in a swamp near his house. He tries (The Devil) to strike a bargain with Tom, but he has knowledge of this story's moral, so he refuses the offer. To prove the moral to degree, look at what happened to Tom's wife. So stricken with greed was she that she went off to deal with the Devil herself. The only remains of her was an apron, and her heart and liver. She paid the ultimate price for dealing with the Devil.
Tom eventually deals with the Devil himself so that he could gain fortune and wealth. The Devil gave Tom gold and silver in exchange for Tom's employment. Tom lived a great prosperous life as a usurer but eventually the Devil got him in the end. Tom was carried away by a black horse to his death. His belongings destroyed, his gold and silver replaced with worthless scrap, and his property burned to the ground. Anyone who deals with the Devil faces dire consequences.
Never Deal with the Devil is something that can easily be visualized through real life. Look at government scandals. "Do not commit Adultery" is one of the Ten Commandments stated in the Bible. Our president (and probably countless other political people) committed this crime. It is generally considered something that relates to the devil because it is against one of the Ten Commandments. In consequence, the Presidents public image was destroyed and he had charges brought against him. If we steal something from the store, we can get arrested. If we shoot someone, the same can happen. Dealing with the Devil leads to terrible consequences. Greed, cheating, lying, all sins related to the Devil. If I cared nothing about human life and decided to drive on the wrong side of the road, I would be dealing with the Devil. I receive a thrill in exchange of an attempt to take someone's life. I temporarily profit, but the Devil profits forever.
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Clinton Godlesky
November
4th, 1999