Comment on the theme of greed and the lesson that "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" presents about this theme.

You might find it interesting to bear in mind some of the
context of Russia at the time this excellent story was written. In 1861, Tsar Alexander
II ordered the emancipation of Russian serfs, which was clearly a good thing, because
before this serfs were slaves of landowners and could be bought or sold and were not
allowed to own property. Tolstoy wrote this story after the serfs had experienced 25
years of freedom. Tolstoy is of course not arguing for a return to the way things were,
but this story, with its focus on greed and materialism, does question whether the
progress of the peasants had actually brought with it negative
aspects.

You also might want to consider the title and its
importance in relation to the theme of greed. Firstly, note the deliberate use of the
word "need" at the end, rather than "want." If it were "want," Pahom clearly shows in
the story again and again that there is no end to the amount of land that a man wants.
Each new land purchase only fuels his desire to have more land. The question of the
title is answered ironically only at the end of the story, when we find that the only
land a man "needs" is enough to bury him:

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His servant picked up the spade and dug a grave
long enough for Pahom to lie in, an dburied him in it. Six feet from his head to his
heels was all he
needed.

Greed is shown to
have resulted in Pahom's death as he sacrificed his life in the attempt to gain ever
greater quantities of wealth.