Every human attempts to advance their position in life and exceed their social class.
When someone is living below the life they want, it instills an insatiable need within them to
create the life that they want to live. In Leo Tolstoy’s H ow Much Land Does a Man Need? h e
presents a man who lives a simple life as a farmer. This man can support his family and grow a
healthy crop. However, when he hears of a man who has more land than he does, he develops
an intense need to become more wealthy than he already is. This is the human nature of
ambition that is created within all of us. However, when a man craves more than he needs, it is
not always a healthy ambition.
Ambition is an innate human characteristic. All humans desire to be as successful as possible at what they are doing. Pakhom went from being an ordinary peasant farmer to desiring more land in a far away country. Just like any man who was attempting to provide for his family, Pakhom set out to develop a life that was above average. Due to his success in his first endeavor, Pakhom felt invincible. However, just because one business venture was successful, doesn’t mean that the man should invest his entire livelihood into one property of land. When Pakhom hears about a village that can be taken advantage of for their cheap price in land he jumps on it. However, he underestimates their price. Instead of money, the village tests the character of the buyer by his stamina. Pakhom, blinded by the vision of wealth in land, doesn’t understand that he must have a strong will too. This is the downfall of those blinded by ambition. When one has a dream of becoming more successful than needed to support their family, they must be able to accept the moral consequences of their ambition. Ambition is a dangerous emotion that can trap a human into making poor decisions. Many other literary heroes have been blinded by the emotion of ambition. Icarus was given wings, but flew too close to the sun. Gatsby was blinded by love. Victor Frankenstein dreamed of being God but instead was betrayed by his creation. Countless literary heros attempted to become a greater version of themselves but instead were betrayed by their ambition. This desire must be controlled in order to mold it into a successful endeavor.
Although ambition can often be viewed as positive characteristic, it can bring out the dark side in those who are not properly ready to take on a huge responsibility. Pakhom doesn’t comprehend that when you develop ambition, you should also develop a desire to be satisfied. By creating an unquenchable thirst for more money, Pakhom destroyed his ability to be content with what he has. The moral of this story can be boiled down to living a life that is not complex. Ambition can be healthy to a certain degree, but once you attain what you are striving for, it is important to be thankful instead of being ungrateful.
Ambition is an innate human characteristic. All humans desire to be as successful as possible at what they are doing. Pakhom went from being an ordinary peasant farmer to desiring more land in a far away country. Just like any man who was attempting to provide for his family, Pakhom set out to develop a life that was above average. Due to his success in his first endeavor, Pakhom felt invincible. However, just because one business venture was successful, doesn’t mean that the man should invest his entire livelihood into one property of land. When Pakhom hears about a village that can be taken advantage of for their cheap price in land he jumps on it. However, he underestimates their price. Instead of money, the village tests the character of the buyer by his stamina. Pakhom, blinded by the vision of wealth in land, doesn’t understand that he must have a strong will too. This is the downfall of those blinded by ambition. When one has a dream of becoming more successful than needed to support their family, they must be able to accept the moral consequences of their ambition. Ambition is a dangerous emotion that can trap a human into making poor decisions. Many other literary heroes have been blinded by the emotion of ambition. Icarus was given wings, but flew too close to the sun. Gatsby was blinded by love. Victor Frankenstein dreamed of being God but instead was betrayed by his creation. Countless literary heros attempted to become a greater version of themselves but instead were betrayed by their ambition. This desire must be controlled in order to mold it into a successful endeavor.
Although ambition can often be viewed as positive characteristic, it can bring out the dark side in those who are not properly ready to take on a huge responsibility. Pakhom doesn’t comprehend that when you develop ambition, you should also develop a desire to be satisfied. By creating an unquenchable thirst for more money, Pakhom destroyed his ability to be content with what he has. The moral of this story can be boiled down to living a life that is not complex. Ambition can be healthy to a certain degree, but once you attain what you are striving for, it is important to be thankful instead of being ungrateful.
No comments:
Post a Comment