Tom Walker shows individualism by keeping to himself and hoarding things (he also shows individualism by refusing to be a slave trader). "The devil and Tom Walker" was written during a time when puritanistic beliefs, stating that a person's life should be developed to God. Suddenly the desire for money and personal gain were springing up. Tom fights change at first, but he gives in to the greed that caused his wife's death.
Washington Irving´s “The Devil and Tom Walker” is an example of 18th Century American literature and it is characterized by elements of individualism.
