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HOW MUCH LAND DOES A MAN NEED? LEO TOLSTOY


Ambition and Greed are two antagonisms explored by Leo Tolstoy in this short story. In this review, we look at how the two play out in the main character Pahom

Regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time, Leo Tolstoy would be well known for his works War and Peace and Anna Karenina- books sought after by many literature lovers in the world. Born in 1828 in Tula Province, Russian empire, Tolstoy is regarded as a master of realistic fiction. Besides writing, Tolstoy would become a renowned world moral and spiritual leader whose teachings greatly influenced Mahatma Gandhi. However, his teachings on religion significantly dwindled as people got to explore his life and literature.
Tolstoy’s writing reflects a lot about his beliefs and moral standing as regards society. In the story, How Much Land Does Need? Tolstoy explores greed and Ambition. In this iteration the author explores greed as the driving force for wanting more, but can there be the distinction between greed and ambition?
Cambridge Dictionary defines greed as “a very strong wish to continuously get more of something, especially food or money.” On the other hand, Sage Dictionary defines ambition as “a strong desire for success.”
In ‘How Much Land Does Man Need?’ Tolstoy toys around greed and ambition in such a way that there seems to be a thin line separating the two words. Whereas greed is negative; ambition breathes some optimism and it is viewed as a driving force for greatness.
In the story, narrated in a simple human folktale language, Tolstoy tells the story of a farmer who had 123 acres of land. Driven by ambition, the farmer, whose name was Pahom, grows his herd to a point he desires more land. As his wealth grows, Pahom keeps on wondering where he could get more lands.
As fate could have it, Pahom learns from a passing dealer that he had bought 13000 acres from the Bakshirs for only 1000 roubles. Drawn by the desire to own more land, Pahom jumps at this lucrative offer. He buys gifts for the Bakshirs and receives a warm welcome. Because of his generosity, the Bakshir chief tells Pahom to map out the piece of land he needs for only 1000 roubles. The condition is that Pahom has to return to the point where the mapping began before nightfall. Driven by greed, Pahom acquires the largest chunk of land he could in one day.
Nevertheless the tedious task of walking the entire day, mapping out the land and hurriedly returning to point zero saps all the energy in Pahom’s body. Bone tired, Pahom dies at the foot of the Bakshir chief’s feet. Pahom’s servant picks up the spade and digs a six feet grave in which the farmer was buried- the land he really needed.
Although Pahom was driven by the ambition to succeed, it is greed that ended his life. In as much as we are driven by ambition, we should always watch out for greed for it is what blinds us from our intended goals. Therefore greed and ambition are intertwined.

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