The Advantages of Town Life and The Bliss of a Country Life as Presented in Leo Tolstoy’s How Much Land Does A Man Need ?


The short story How Much Land Does a Man Need? begins with the conversation of two sisters on the advantages of the life of town. The elder sister who is married to an affluent tradesman and enjoys the luxuries and diversions of the city life came to pay a visit to her sister who is married to a peasant in the village. When they are having tea, the elder sister starts to brag about her comfortable life. She brags about the expensive attires she and her children wear, the delicacies they have in their meal and how thrilled she is to have diversions like theatres and promenades. Being piqued, the younger sister defends the blissful life of a peasant. She affirms that she would never exchange the way of her life with her for anything .Disparaging the life of a tradesman, she argued that they may live a life full of hardship, but they are free from anxiety. Her sister may live an opulent life now, but gain and loss are the two sides of the same coin. Therefore, if they lose all their wealth someday, they are bound to beg to earn a living. The younger sister said that she may never live affluently but she will never run out of food. In her response, the elder sister taunts the younger sister since she is supposed to a stingy live forever in the filthy atmosphere of her poultry and agricultural fields and probably never be acquainted with the elegance of manners. The younger sister argues that maybe her life is full of toil, but bereft of any temptation and ruination that go hand in hand with card, wine and woman.

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