How Much Land Does a Man Need

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. In 1861, Russian monarch Tsar Alexander II emancipated serfs in his empire. Describe the serfdom system in the Russian Empire. What were the causes and effects of the emancipation of serfs on Russian society?

Teaching Suggestion: This question orients students with the historical context of Tolstoy’s work. Twenty-five years before the publication of this story, Tsar Alexander II’s abolishment of the serfdom system drastically transformed Russia’s economy and social hierarchy. Before the 1861 Emancipation, the Russian Empire was one of the few remaining regions with a functioning feudal system in which serfs, or agricultural workers, labored on a piece of land they were bound to. In addition to the significant transformation of the economy, the social ramifications of the 1861 Emancipation shaped future generations and linked to subsequent revolutions in the early 20th century. Although Tolstoy does not explicitly state that the protagonist is a former serf, his story takes place after the 1861 Emancipation, when peasants purchased land for their economic benefit. Direct instruction or investigation time with these and other resources may benefit students before reading the story.

• Historytoday.com discusses the impact of the emancipation of serfs on Russian society.
• This University of Essex article argues the social ramifications of the 1861 Emancipation was more prevalent than the economic one.

2. Consider the differences between capitalist and communist economic systems. How do these different systems view the idea of land ownership? What are some notable political upheavals in Russia’s history related to these economic systems?

Teaching Suggestion: This question will help to situate students with the economic context of Tolstoy’s story. While private property ownership is encouraged in capitalist economic systems, a core tenet of communism is the collectivization of land without the division of private owners. Approximately 50 years after the 1861 Emancipation, the Russian Empire was overthrown by the Bolshevik political party, which introduced the communist political/economic system in the 1917 Russian Revolution, signaling the transition from the Russian Empire to the Soviet Union. Tolstoy lived before the 1917 Revolution and subsequent introduction of communism; however, this concept of the benefits of collectivization is foreshadowed in his story by the characterization of the Bashkirs and the representation of private land ownership as a precursor to the sins of Envy, Greed, and Loss, as well as the Temptations and Deadly Sins. You might use this question to introduce those themes and allow students to brainstorm and predict how they might come through in the story.

• This article shares information regarding the 1917 Russian Revolution.
• Russiabeyond.com shares insight and photos of the effects of the collectivization process on Russian peasants.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the story.

Are wealth, consumerism, and greed inevitably intertwined? Is it possible to be wealthy or a consumerist and not be greedy? Share your point of view, incorporating personal observations to substantiate your point.

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt encourages students to reflect on a central theme of Tolstoy’s argument: if the acquisition of goods leads to a surplus, then greed is an inevitable consequence of this materialism. For Tolstoy, more land does not quench Pahóm’s thirst, and this greed ultimately results in his death. This theme also reoccurs in Tolstoy’s short story “The Imp and the Crust” (the second Recommended Read). This prompt segues to the Discussion/Analysis Prompt and is related to the theme of Envy, Greed, and Loss.

Differentiation Suggestion: This prompt can be reframed as an in-class debate, where students must either argue for or against the following statement: Wealth, consumerism, and greed are inevitably intertwined.