according to the story of the devil and tom walker by washinton irving
what are the social and cultural influences
Read MANY of these search results:
http://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=devil%20and%20tom%20walker
Also make sure you are 100% clear on the time in American history when this story could have taken place.
Once you figure out what you'll write, post it here if you want someone to check it for you.