In "The Devil and Tom Walker," why does Mrs. Walker's life end in such a nasty way?

Tom's wife certainly does get more than she bargained for
when she goes into the forest to do business with Old Scratch. All that Tom finds left
of her is her heart and liver tied up in her apron, hanging from a tree with a vulture
hovering over it. Her gruesome fate contributes to the story in several
ways.

First, "The Devil and Tom Walker" is an example of
Romanticism in literature. Mystery, death, and strangeness are all elements of Romantic
literature. Tom's wife's dying in such a strange and mysterious way contributes to the
story's strong Romantic tone.

The horrible nature of her
death also contributes to the theme of the story and to Tom's character development. She
is a very, very greedy woman; she is so greedy she will deal with the Devil himself if
it will enrich her. For her to die in such a shocking way emphasizes the terrible
results of greed. Also, Tom's reaction when he finds what's left of his wife's body
shows a great deal about him. He is only upset because he has lost his property. Finding
her heart and liver doesn't seem to faze him, but he does notice the signs of a fierce
battle. He assumes she put up quite a fight:

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Tom knew his wife's prowess by experience. He
shrugged his shoulders, as he looked at the signs of a fierce clapperclawing. "Egad,"
said he to himself. "Old Scratch must have had a tough time of
it!"

Tom clearly did not love
his wife! In fact, he was glad she was dead:

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Tom consoled himself for the loss of his property
with the loss of his wife . . .
.

Tom is so hard and cold
emotionally that even the horrible way his wife dies does not move him at all. Like her,
all he loves is money.