Re-entry to Contest: How Much Land Does A Man Need

-a review-

“HOW MUCH LAND DOES A MAN NEED?” by Leo Tolstoy is an adventure story that leads to death of the primary character. An elder sister came to visit her younger sister in the country. The sisters sat over their tea talking, the elder began to boast of the advantages of town life. The younger sister was piqued, and in turn disparaged the life of a tradesman, and stood up for that of a peasant. “I would not change my way of life for yours. We shall never grow rich, but we shall always have enough to eat,” she said. Both sisters were giving out their opinions on the disadvantages each one have when they are in the standard way of living they’re comfortable of. Meanwhile, Pahom, the master of the house, was lying on the top of the stove and he listened to the women’s chatter. He said that if he had plenty of land, he shouldn’t fear the Devil himself. “ In exchange of land, you shall get into my power,” the Devil thought. Close to the village there lived a lady, a small land owner who had an estate of about three hundred acres. However careful, Pahom tried to be, it happened again and again that now a horse of his got among the lady’s oats, now a cow strayed into her garden, now his calves found their way into her meadows – and he always had to pay a fine. Pahom paid up, but grumbled, and going home in a temper, was rough with his family until such time that a news got about that the lady was going to sell her land, and that the keeper of the inn on the high road was bargaining for it. When the peasants heard this they were very much alarmed. The peasants went on behalf of their Commune, and asked the lady not to sell the land to the inn keeper, offering her a better price for it themselves. The lady agreed to let them have it. The peasants tried to arrange for the Commune to buy the whole state. They met twice to discuss it and they could not agree. So they decided to buy the land individually and the lady agreed to this plan as she had top the other. Presently Pahom felt envious of what he heard. He spoke to his wife, “Life is becoming impossible. That steward is simply crushing us with his fines.” So they put their heads together and considered how they could manage to buy it. They had one hundred rubles laid by. They sold a colt and one half of their bees, hired out one of their sons as a laborer and took his wages in advance; borrowed the rest from a brother-in-law, and so scraped together half the purchase money. Having done this, Pahom chose out a farm of forty acres, went to the lady to bargain for it and came to an agreement. They went to town and signed the deeds. Now Pahom had land of his own. He borrowed seed and sowed it on the land he had bought. The harvest was a good one, and within a year he had managed to pay off his debts both to the lady and his brother-in-law. He became a land owner. Pahom was well contented and everything would have been right if the neighboring peasants would only not have trespassed on his corn-fields and meadows but they still went on. Pahom forgave their owners and at last he lost patience and complained to the District Court. “ I cannot go on overlooking it or they will destroy all I have. They must be taught a lesson,” he said. So he gave them one lesson and then another, and two or three of the peasants were fined. One time, Pahom became furious that instead of few trunk on the ground, it was a rascal. He racked his brains us to who it could be and decided that it must be Simon. He went to Simon’s homestead and had an scene. Pahom lodged a complaint. Simon was summoned. Pahom felt more aggrieved and let his anger loose upon the Elders and Judges. He quarreled with the Judges and his neighbors. Threats to burn his building began to be uttered. About this time a rumor got about that many people were moving to new parts. There’s no need for me to leave my land,” thought Pahom. One day Pahom was sitting at home when a peasant, passing through the village, happened to call in. Pahom had a talk with this peasant and asked him where he came from. The stranger answered that he came from beyong the Volga. One peasant, he said, had brought nothing with him but his bare hands, and now he had six horses and two cow of his own. “Why should I suffer in this narrow hole, if one can live so well elsewhere? I will sell my land and my homestead here, and with the money I will start afresh over there and get everything new. Towards summer, he got ready and started. He went down the Volga on a steamer to Samara. Having found all he wished to know, Pahom returned home as autumn came on and began selling off his belongings. He waited till spring and started with his family for the new settlement. As soon as Pahom and his family reached their new abode, he applied for admission into the Commune of a large village. He received 5 shares of Communal land. Pahom was pleased with all the bustle and settling down. Pahom noticed that some peasant dealers were living on separate farms and were growing wealthy. He might have gone on living contentedly. There was a tradesman wherein Pahom began his journey with the Bakhirs and want to have land of his own. He began to suffer. Until his life on Earth ends. He died because he want to have a land of his own. His servant bury him using the spade used by his master.

My favorite character is Pahom’s servant because he was very loyal to his master. Pahom in the story is very unbelievable because he did the suffering only for a land of his dream. If idid that, I sound very crazy to other people. The most interesting part was when the land has a great expansion. The story moves moderately slow. The theme for this is:”BEING GREAT IS NOT HAVING EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD.”

The book is worth reading because it teaches moral lessons and it tells us that money, land, or richness is not being rich spiritually. We are all rich in God,s eyes. Do you know where we are rich, RICH IN LOVE< CARE< AND FORGIVENESS. EVERYONE IS GREAT AND RICH IN LOVE………….

P.S. I remember this work of mine, a review about HOW MUCH LAND DOES A MAN NEED. I created this last October 10, 2004, and passed it to my teacher. I'm just sharing it with you. Hope you'll like it.

Copyright © 2008

http://writingcampus.com/node/8011

Technorati Tags: 2008 Contest Religion/Philosophy

Vote Result

Score: 8.0, Votes: 1