"How Much Land Does a Man Need?" is a short story written by Leo Tolstoy, a Russian novelist and philosopher. The story tells the tale of a man named Pahom, who is driven by his greed and desire for more land.
Pahom lives in a small village where he is content with the amount of land he has. However, one day he hears about a place where land is abundant and cheap. Pahom becomes envious of the people who live there and decides to sell his land and move to this new place.
When he arrives, he finds that the land is indeed cheap and plentiful. Pahom becomes obsessed with acquiring as much land as possible, and spends all of his time and energy working to buy more and more land. He becomes wealthy, but at the cost of his health and happiness.
Despite his success, Pahom becomes increasingly unhappy and begins to feel that he will never have enough land. One day, he meets a man who tells him about a place where land is free for the taking. Pahom becomes excited at the prospect of acquiring even more land and decides to go to this place.
Upon arriving, Pahom is offered a deal by the local chief: he can have as much land as he can walk around in a single day, with the stipulation that he must return to the starting point by sunset. Pahom agrees to the deal and sets off at dawn, determined to acquire as much land as possible.
Pahom walks for miles and miles, constantly measuring the land he is acquiring. As the day wears on, he becomes exhausted and begins to doubt that he will be able to return to the starting point in time. Despite this, he continues on, driven by his greed and desire for more land.
As the sun begins to set, Pahom realizes that he is not going to make it back in time. In a desperate attempt to acquire more land, he starts running and eventually collapses from exhaustion. As he lies on the ground, he realizes that he has acquired more land than he could possibly need or use.
As he takes his last breath, Pahom realizes that his greed and desire for more land have ultimately led to his demise. The story ends with the question, "How much land does a man need?"
Overall, "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" is a cautionary tale about the dangers of greed and the importance of being content with what we have. It suggests that the pursuit of more and more material possessions will never bring true happiness or fulfillment. Instead, it is only when we are content with what we have that we can truly find peace and happiness.
A Reaction Paper for How Much Land Does a Man Need?, a Short Story by Leo Tolstoy
Pahom was told about the best land ever and how cheap it was. In addition, the distance from his original spot exemplifies his isolation from the community due to such temptations. The story is opened up with a conversation between an younger sister, who is the wife of a farmer, Pahom and an older sister, who resides in the city, wealthy and indulges in the materialistic way of life. The demise of Pahom is brought forth from abandoning his home, and without realizing it, his own life and God as he creates his own fate by overlooking everything he once had as a landless serf. Therefore, Pahom overlooked it as an everyday dream instead of a foreshadow to his demise. The elder sister boasts of her better clothing, fine foods, entertainment, and generally that she had a more comfortable, luxurious lifestyle. Pahom travels to inquire about the land.
How Much Land Does A Man Need Essay
GradeSaver, 5 February 2021 Web. The sunset Simile "The sun was close to the rim, and cloaked in mist looked large, and red as blood" 23. While the devil may represent the human condition and weakness which is greed and power, Pahom portrays the human soul and free will that is challenged with decision making. Although it has never been directly adapted, motifs from the short story were used in the 1969 West German film Scarabea: How Much Land Does a Man Need? He went to the University of Kazan and later joined an artillery regiment. It was cited by authors James Joyce and Ludwig Wittgenstein as one of the best short stories ever written. As he approaches death and truth, his possessions only hold to be temporary. In order to buy his first piece of land, Pakhom must sell everything he owns, secure a loan from his merchant brother-in-law, and hire out the labor of his children.
The Corrupting Nature of Greed Theme in How Much Land Does a Man Need?
It is still taught widely today in classes studying Russian literature. Yes, you do have a great deal of land, but I need only a little. He was also a well-regarded philosopher, authoring dozens of papers revealing his thoughts on government, religion, and Russian society. However, he is forced to grow the crops on rented land, which he resents due to wanting to be self-sufficient. When the Bashkirs, distant landowners, say he can have as much land as he can circumnavigate on foot in one day, Pakhom pushes himself to the point that he dies of exhaustion. However, the younger sister appears to be grateful for hers even if it is a lowly one that is near the farms.
