There are several literary devices in Leo Tolstoy's short story "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" like symbolism, irony, foreshadowing, and other devices.
Tolstoy incorporates several symbols into the narrative. For example, one notable symbol is Pahom's spade, which he uses to mark his progress. The...
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spade actually symbolizes his greed, which eventually leads him to his downfall. In the end, Pahom's grave is dug with that same spade, which implies that his greed is what killed him.
His servant picked up the spade and dug a grave long enough for Pahom to lie in, and buried him in it. Six feet from his head to his heels was all he needed.
In this sentence Tolstoy also uses irony. Pahom is obsessed with owning land, thinking that he needs to have more and more, because it will make him powerful and wealthy. It turns out, however, that he only needs six feet of land—for his grave.
Foreshadowing is also common in the story. For example, Pahom says that the most important thing for peasants is owning land; if he owns a lot of land, he won't even fear the devil:
[W]e peasants have no time to let any nonsense settle in our heads. Our only trouble is that we haven't land enough. If I had plenty of land, I shouldn't fear the Devil himself!
Pahom's statement foreshadows his downfall, as the readers soon realize that he very much does need to fear the Devil, who actually hears Pahom's words and accepts the challenge to toy with his destiny.
'All right,' thought the Devil. 'We will have a tussle. I'll give you land enough; and by means of that land I will get you into my power.'