After Tom's wife dies in a battle with the devil, Tom Walker approaches him. They begin to bargain over terms. The story's narrator says,

There was one condition which need not be mentioned, being generally understood in all cases where the devil grants favors.

By this, the narrator means that Tom trades his soul to the devil in return for worldly wealth.

When Tom gets older, he begins to regret having traded away his immortal soul. He wants to cheat the devil out of this end of the bargain. To do so, he begins to attend church. The narrator calls Tom a "violent" churchgoer. He prays more loudly than everyone else. He becomes very stern and judgmental about other people's sins and want to hold them to account. He talks about reviving the old persecutions of the Quakers and the Anabaptists, which the narrator earlier called the devil's work.

Tom fears this may not be enough. So that the devil cannot catch him by surprise, he carries his Bible everywhere. However, this does not change his behavior in any way: he is still as merciless as ever to those who borrow money from him.

A rumor also emerges that in order to be prepared to outrun the devil on the last day of the earth, when the world, Tom believes, will be turned upside-down, Tom has his horse saddled, bridled, and buried "with his feet uppermost."

All of these efforts are futile because they are simply outward gestures: Tom's soul does not turn toward the good in any real way.

What does Tom do when he begins to regret his bargain with the devil?

Not long after making his bargain with the devil, Tom Walker begins to have a change of mind. This is shown clearly through the following line:

Having secured the good things of this world, he began to feel anxious about those of the next.

In other words, Tom begins to think about the long-term implications of dealing with the devil. Specifically, he worries about his soul. As a result, Tom becomes a "violent Church-goer" in the hope that this newfound piety might save him from an eternity in hell.

As part of this newfound piety, Tom prays "loudly and strenuously." At the Sunday service, Tom would repent very loudly and enthusiastically for any sins committed in the previous week. Tom also became a "censurer" of his neighbors, meaning that he kept a close eye on their behavior and intervened when they committed a sin.

In addition, Tom starts carrying a Bible in his pocket and places a larger copy on his desk. Customers would often find Tom reading the Bible, another sign of his increased devotion.

Despite his efforts, however, Tom is not able to escape his deal with the devil. At the end of the story, he is carried away by Old Scratch, just like his wife.

What does Tom do when he begins to regret his bargain with the devil?

Tom also carries his Bible with him everywhere in hopes that having it will thwart the Devil's ability to wisk Tom away and fulfill the contract they made together.  Unfortunately for Tom,...

What does Tom do when he begins to regret his bargain with the devil?