In "The Devil and Tom Walker," in what ways is this story a satire?

It is important to realise that in this story, Irving is
updating the traditional archetype concerning a man who makes a deal with the devil only
to lose his soul in the end for the new America that he is a part of. A satire is a
story that mocks some human folly, and as we read it becomes clear that Irving is
mocking greed, stinginess, religious intolerance, spiritual hypocrisy and the inhumane
treatment of others. He criticises the Puritans for their persecution of Quakers and
Anabaptists, the Salem witch trials, and their practice of usury through the action in
the novel. By far the clearest indication of this element of satire is the way that
Irving makes it clear that the devil has been inextricably intertwined with these
activities as is seen when the devil introduces himself to
Tom:

"Since
the red men have been exterminated by you white savages, I amuse myself by presiding at
the persecutions of Quakers and Anabaptists; I am the great patron and prompter of slave
dealers, and the grand master of the Salem
witches."

Note how the devil
places himself at the centre of all of this despicable activities, and thus Irving makes
it clear how he feels about them.

If you want to see how
stinginess and greed are satirised you only need to look at how Tom and his wife are
described in incredibly amusing terms that exaggerates their
greed:

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; a hen could not cackle
but she was on the alert to secure the new-laid egg. Her husband was continually prying
about to detect her secret hoards, and many and fierce were the conflicts that took
place about what ought to have been common
property.

We are presented
with stereotypes representing an embodiment of greed - Tom and his wife's avaricious
nature even leads to conflict between them as each tries to squirrel away money and
possessions from the other.

Clearly, then, Irving uses this
tale as a harsh comment on what he sees as the failings of America in his time, in
particular criticising the hypocrisy and cruelty perpetrated by the Puritans against
other groups and their sense of greed and miserliness.