We immediately can sense that Tom is not a particularly good-hearted or decent man. Thus, when Tom encounters Old Scratch in the woods and is offered great riches in exchange for his soul, it is not surprising to us that the offer tempts him. We see his contrarian nature appear when he returns home and tells his wife of the offer; when she encourages him to take it, he decides not to "out of the mere spirit of contradiction" as he was "determined not to do so to oblige his wife" despite his interest in making such a deal....