The Devil and Tom Walker

The Devil and Tom Walker

You can infer Tom Walker's wife was a greedy , evil woman . The author uses direct characterization.

 " He had a wife as miserly as himself; they were so miserly that they even conspired to cheat each other. Whatever the woman could lay hands on she hid away. " 

According to the text the author indirectly said she was just like her husband being miserly and had a violent temper.

 "Tom's wife was a tall termagant, fierce of temper, loud of tongue, and strong of arm. Her voice was often heard in wordy warfare with her husband; and his face sometimes showed signs that their conflicts were not confine." 

According to the text she leaves the house with all the valuables to find old scratch and make a deal with him. Later in the story tom finds her apron hanging in a tree with her heart and liver inside. You can infer that the devil murdered the wife.

 "Being of the same fearless temper as her husband, she set off for the old Indian fort towards the close of a summer's day. She was many hours absent. When she came back she was reserved and sullen in her replies. She spoke something of a black man whom she had met about twilight, hewing at the root of a tall tree. He was sulky, however, and would not come to terms; she was to go again with a propitiatory offering, but what it was she forbore to say."
 "The next evening she set off again for the swamp, with her apron heavily laden. Tom waited and waited for her, but in vain: midnight came, but she did not make her appearance; morning, noon, night returned, but still she did not come."

The author indirectly says that his wife had been chopped up and her remains were lefted in an apron.

"As he scrambled up the tree the vulture spread its wide wings, and sailed off screaming into the deep shadows of the forest. Tom seized the check apron, but, woful sight! found nothing but a heart and liver tied up in it."