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What is human nature in the story ''How Much Land Does a Man Need?'' by Leo Tolstoy?

Pahom had numerous opportunities to stop his quest for more land when he already had a substantial lot to his name. He forgot where he came from and was blinded by the luster of extreme wealth. The author used Pahom to express his idea about human nature in relation to wealth and power. It is human to aspire for better and have ambition to succeed. However, ambition and aspiration, if not checked, would lead to a person’s downfall and destruction.


Pahom believed that more land would solve his issues, and the devil took advantage of his desires. The devil turned Pahom’s ambitions into greed, which eventually led to his demise. Pahom accepted the deal to walk on the land for a day to mark his allocation. However, he allowed greed to take over and tried to cover more distance than he could manage. Pahom died of exhaustion, leaving behind all the land he ever wanted.

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