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1. The Devil challenges himself.
An elder sister visits her younger sister in the country and they discuss their different lifestyles. The younger sister who lives in the coutnry says that because they have so much land and are so busy, they do not have as many evils in their lives. Pahom, the younger sisters husband, overhears this and agrees. He says that if he had more land he would be so busy that he wouldn't fear the devil himself. The devil hears this and says that he will get Pahom into his power by giving him more land. -
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What is happening in the real world while this book was being written?
In the real world at the time of this story, Russia was competing with the British for control over Central Asia. Russia had also congured Turkministan a few years before. All of this want of more territory probably drove Tolstoy to write this book. He believed that peole were never happy with what they had and just wanted more and more, land or anything. He believed that if Russia kept wanting more and gaining more and more land, they would in up with nothing just like Pahom did. -
2. Pahom buys 40 acres of land.
E ventually a landowner announces that she is selling 300 acres of her land. Many people from Pahom's village hear about this and wish to buy a share of this land. Pahom believes that he doesn't have enough space to do all of the things he needs so he sells many things and scrapes up enough money to buy 40 acres of land from the lady. He eventually farms this new land and pays off his debts. This is the first domino to fall that is fueled by Pahom's greed and want for more and more land. -
3. Greed starts to consume Pahom.
With this new land, Pahom becomes the greedy landowner that he despised before. He starts to fine people for intruding on his land and he even accuses judges of taking bribes because he is so angry that someone cut down some trees on his land. He becomes consumed by greed for land and he becomes very territorial over what is his. He then hears that some people are moving to new parts and greedily thinks that there will be more room for him. -
4. A peasant visits Pahom and tells him about a Commune with plenty of available, fertile land.
A peasant visits Pahom and tells him about a Commune that has much fertile land. The peasant tells him that people are getting wealthy quickly there. Upon hearing this, Pahom eagerly wishes to see the Commune so he goes and visits it. He finds everything the peasant talked about there and when he returns he sells everything and moves his family to the new Commune in the Volga. -
5. Pahom buys 125 acres of land at this new Commune.
At the commune, Pahom buys 125 acres of land and is very content for a while with all of the land and property he has. But eventually he starts to wish that he had freehold land and did not have to rely on other people as much to grow what he needed. He starts to want more and more even when he has so much. He lives like this for 3 years though and he meets a dealer that gives him exciting news right before he is about to buy 1,300 acres of land. -
6. A dealer tells Pahon about a place where he can buy 13,000 acres for only 1,000 roubles.
A dealer visits Pahom and tells him how he bought 13,000 acres of land for only 1,000 roubles. This is an amazing deal and Pahom eagerly wants to know more. So Pahom and the dealer decide to travel to the Bashkirs who own this land. Pahom wants more and more land and becomes even more greedy. All of this buying of land is the rising action of the story and it build suspense. -
7. Pahom travels to the Bashkirs where he can buy this land.
Pahom and the dealer buy many gifts and presents for the Bashkirs before they leave because the dealers says that he used gifts to soften the Bashkirs. After buying these gifts they set off for the Bashkirs. When they arrive Pahom sees all of the land the dealer talked about and is excited. The Bashkirs seems to be very laid back people. -
8. The Bashkirs are pleased with Pahon's gifts and agree to give him as much land as he wishes.
Pahom sits down with the Bashkir people and he presents them with his gifts. The bashkirs talk amonst themselves in another language and seem pleased with the gifts. They then say that they like Pahom and that he can have as much land as he wishes. The chief of the Bashkirs then arrives and confirms that Pahom can have as much land as he wishes. -
9. Pahom discovers the conditions of buying the land.
Then the chief of the Bashkirs states that Pahom can have as much land as he can walk around in a day. The chief says that he will put a marker down where Pahom started and Pahom will walk around a plot of land setting markers along the way. If Pahom can make it back to the starter marker before the sun goes down the chief says he can buy the land. The chief also says that this land cost 1,000 roubles per day which surprises Pahom. But because of his greed he accepts. -
10.Pahom has dreams about the devil.
Pahom goes to sleep at the Bashkirs village and has a dream of that someone is chuckling outside. He goes outside and sees the chief laughing on the ground. Suddenly the chief changes into the dealer that traveled with him. Then the dealer transforms into the peasant that first visisted him about land in the Volga. Then the peasant transform into the devil himself laughing. Pahom then wakes up and brushes off the dream. This dream shows how the devil has fed Pahom's greed with temptation of land -
11. Pahom begins marking off his land.
The next morning Pahom and all of the Bashkirs travel to a place where Pahom will mark off his land. They eventually stop and the chief lays his fox cap down on the ground. Pahom lays his 1,000 roubles on the cap and realizes that if he doesn't make it back in time the money will be lost. He then gets a shovel, food, and water and decies to head toward the rising sun. -
12. Pahom walks and marks off his land by digging holes.
Pahom begins his walk and sets out at a pretty good pace, and he starts to dig marker holes every one thousand feet or so. He states that it is very hot outside and walking with all of the gear makes him hotter, so Pahom ditches his coat and keeps walking. He looks back and see that the Bashkirs on the hillside are very small. -
13. Pahom's greed makes him walk a little more to get some nice land.
Eventually Pahom decides it is time to turn. But he does not want to the miss out on the land that is in front of him because it looks so nice so he continues to walk another 3 miles before turning. Pahom then turns and keeps walking. He then decides he must turn again but walks a little farther because he does not wish to miss out on a certain patch of nice, fertile land. These moments in the story are very important and show how Pahom's greed will be his downfall. -
14. As Pahom returns back and sees that the sun is going down, he quickens his pace.
Pahom then turns and heads back for the hill. He sees that the sun is starting to set and is worried that he won't be back in time. He then quickens his pace and drops more of his gear. The heat is intense and Pahom is very hot but he still continues and he still worries about not making it back in time, so he heads straight for the hill with the Bashkirs, causing his land to be lopsided. -
15. Pahom runs to the hat and dies.
Pahom realizes he is running out of time so he starts to run. He is hot and in pain because of running so much but he continues out of fear of losing all of the land he as walked for. He runs and runs for miles and eventually reaches the cap just as the sun goes down. He sees the chief laughing and then Pahom collapses and dies from the run. Pahom then is buried in a grave and the story states that hole 6 feet by 6 feet was all the land he needed.