Did Picohm Deserve His Fate?

Did Picohm deserve his fate?

Greed is an excessive desire to have more than what you have, whether it be money, power, or any other item you could want. The aspiration for more is a part of human nature. However, greed forces you to never be satisfied with what you have, and it is a cycle you cannot break out of. Greed classifies as one of the seven deadly sins. "How Much Land Does a Man Require" is a story written by Leo Tolstoy. In the story, a peasant farmer named Picohm desires for more land. In his wish for more land, he unknowingly challenged the devil. Him being ignorant of this, the devil leads Picohm to his demise. Picohm did not deserve his fate because he never knew about challenging the devil, he had extreme determination, and

In the story, Picohm did not acknowledge the fact that he challenged the devil. Although Picohm used the statement, “If only I had plenty of land, not even the Devil himself could frighten me," as an example, the devil was hidden behind the stove, and having heard what Picohm just said, he took that as a challenge. Because the devil is always out of sight, it means that if he were to provoke the devil, Picohm would not know. Furthermore, there were multiple instances of the devil setting up scenarios where Picohm can give in to the devil's demands, but Picohm is unaware of that. In his dream, he saw the merchant who told him about the land, the Bashkir Chief and the devil. He also saw a pale body on the ground which is supposed to symbolize his inevitable death. The devil is staring at him but is unaware of the circumstances of his presence. The dream serves as a warning, yet he ignores it as he is clueless about why the devil would be there. Ignoring the dream and being confused by

Picohm worked hard for everything he owned, and he did whatever it took to obtain the land he wished for. For example, back in the town Picohm had already owned a sizable amount of land and was buying up properties whenever he had the money, and through many years of harvests, he was able to bring himself a decent amount of money and land. In addition, all of this was earned through Picohm's hard work and determination. When Picohm visits the land of the Bashkir, he keeps demonstrating his intense determination. To start, he does everything he can to have as much land as possible, and not only does he want to just say that he owns it, but he ensures that there is a proper contract that says he owns the land. Apart from this example, when Picohm was on his way back to the hill, he pushed his body relentlessly to ensure the land would be his, and that his money isn’t forfeited, and he never stops even though his body is in agony, and the pain is telling him to stop. Even when he thought the sun had set over the horizon, he gave up hope for a brief moment, but once realizing it only behind the hill, he realized he still had time and kept going. These examples show that Picohm is willing to do anything. Not only that, but it also shows that Picohm is a hard worker. To sum it up, Picohm's drive and willpower make him a hard worker that is willing to do what it will take to get the land Picohm