How Much Land Does a Man Need?
Leo Tolstoy
Name: _____________
Ms. Proch
Count Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was born into the Russian nobility on his family estates. He joined the
army after a failed attempt to improve the living conditions of the family’s serfs. Here then started
writing, opened a school for serfs’ children, and lived a good, and simple life
He was fascinated by both principles and details of human behaviour, and his stories reflect the passion,
and the philosophical and psychological examination that he brought to his own life. Some of his stories
are based on European folktales and Russian Medieval legends. He found in writing this way, he could
effectively emphasise the importance of ethics.
1. Why does Tolstoy give this story a rural setting and choose a peasant for the protagonist?
2. To what extent, if any, does Tolstoy agree with the younger sister that the peasant is less greedy than
the tradesman? Why does the Devil know that he can use land to get Pahom into his power?
3. Why does Tolstoy include the Devil in his story?
4. What factors does Pahom ignore in making his choices? Is his behaviour wise or foolish and why?
5. Why is the title of this story appropriate?
6. Why is the Bashkir chief laughing at the end of the story?
7. Find three examples of foreshadowing.
8. Find two examples of irony.
9. In what way is this tale a parable? What lesson does it teach and to whom?
Parable- a short story illustrating a moral lesson
* Start off this lesson asking the question what do you need in order to be happy? Is it better to be
satisfied with what you have or to strive to improve it?
*Also, compare his land to wanting money. What is the point in having all the money if you cannot enjoy
it all? You only live for so long, and then what?
* Read the story, and then when doing the questions read the passage from world literature about the
story.
Do Comprehension questions as a class:
1. What does the sister cite as advantages of city life? (1)
- good clothes, food and entertainment
2. what does the country sister cite as advantages of a country life? (1)
- freedeom from anxiety, lack of temptations, ability to keep one’s wealth
3. Who wants to get Pahom into his power? (1)
- devil
4. What sacrifice does Pahom make to buy the land? (2)
- hires his son out as labourer
5. What does Pahom do to Simon? (3)
- falsely accuse him of chopping down his trees
6. When Pahom first moves beyond Volga, how does he get more land? (4)
- He rents it
7. When Pahom goes to the land of the Bashkirs, how much land will he be able to acquire? (6)
- As much as he can walk around from sunrise to sunset in one day, for the payment of 1000 rubles
8. What dream does Pahom have? (7)
-devil is tempting him and laughs at his death
9. Why does his dream become reality? (8)
- cannot pass up good land and keeps on going
10. How does he tale end? (9)
- Pahom is buried in the land just his size
Other Questions....
- How does ownership of the land affect Pahom’s personality?
- cares more about the land than anything else
-forgets what it is like being a peasant
-in humane
-fines other peasants
-falsely accuses the neighbour of cutting down his trees and the judge of being bribed
Understanding the Story- Questions and Answer sheets
1. Why does Tolstoy give this story a rural setting and choose a peasant for the protagonist?
- Tolstoy believes that life on the land is more natural for humans, that it appeals to basic drives and
need in all people.
- tale set in a country would therefore have applications for the readers
2. To what extent, if any, does Tolstoy agree with the younger sister that the peasant is less greedy
than the tradesman? Why does the Devil know that he can use land to get Pahom into his power?
- Tolstoy proves that the peasant is at least as greedy as the tradesman
- his point is that most human beings, regardless of their social status, spend their lives acquiring goods
rather than helping and improving their minds
-the devil knows that given the opportunity, it is human nature to be greedy and peasants are greedy for
land
3. Why does Tolstoy include the Devil in his story?
- the devil is part of original folktale and makes story more appealing to intended audience- peasants
-devil’s presence in story underscores that Pahom has the choice of good or evil
- Devil functions as an allegorical figure, an external symbol of an internal psychological factor
4. What factors does Pahom ignore in making his choices? Is his behaviour wise or foolish and why?
- ignores needs and desires of wife and children
- he does not explore other ways of leading a rewarding life
-could have used some of his wealth to help others but he did not
- foolish because even if he did not die, there is no one to help or care for him and he will die alone
5. Why is the title of this story appropriate?
- reveals the theme of the story- should a person’s goal in life be spiritual or material?
- a rewarding life is not dependent on land or money
- how much land a person needs depends on that individual
6. Why is the Bashkir chief laughing at the end of the story?
- because he has a lot of land but does not value it as Pahom did
- thinks that it is foolish to want to acquire more and more land
7. Find two examples of foreshadowing.
- the fact that Pahom does not sleep and therefore is not well rested for his journey
-his dream that foreshadows his death
-inability to reject good land and therefore the inability to know when to quit
-removal of shoes which shows the difficulty in walking
- exhausted run at the end which ends up in his death
8. Find two examples of irony.
- double meaning of the title
-applications of Pahom’s wife’s arguments to Pahom
-his inability to appreciate what he has
- change in personality as he acquires land
9. In what way is this tale a parable? What lesson does it teach and to whom?
Parable- a short story illustrating a moral lesson
-a parable is a short story designed to teach moral value. Greed, one of the 7 deadly sins is the subject of
this tale. Those who give in to their greed essentially cause their own moral and physical destruction.
Realizing that he will die, he still is not willing to give up the land, pride and the money in exchange for
his life. Readers should learn from his lesson.