The Bashkirian land (Simile)
"It was all virgin soil, as flat as the palm of your hand, as black as the seed of a poppy, and in the hollows different kinds of grasses grew breast high" (19).
Here, the narrator employs heightened sensory language and a simile to describe the Bashkirian land. The phrases "as flat as the palm of your hand" and "as black as the seed of a poppy" conjure a vivid image of vast, sublime land to highlight its profound allure to Pahom, whose eyes glisten after examining the land. Notably, the description of this setting deviates from the stark, objective descriptions of land that permeate the rest of the story. As such, the simile draws particular visual attention to Bashkiria over Pahom’s previous properties, thus signaling to us that the Bashkirian land will play a significant role in the forthcoming climax of the story.
Pahom’s struggle to reach the starting point (Simile)
"His breast was working like a blacksmith’s bellows, his heart was beating like a hammer, and his legs were giving way as if they did not belong to him" (23).
Here, the narrator compares Pahom’s heart to a hammer and his chest exertions to a blacksmith. This simile amplifies his vigorous effort to reach the hillock before sunset—and the physical deterioration that accompanies these exertions. By vividly illustrating the decline of Pahom’s physicality as he pushes himself beyond what is humanly possible, the simile renders suspense in these final moments of Pahom’s life. We know that Pahom will surely die from exhaustion; it’s just a matter of when.
The sunset (Simile)
"The sun was close to the rim, and cloaked in mist looked large, and red as blood" (23).
The narrator employs vivid imagery to signify the foolishness of Pahom’s effort to outrun the sun and reach the hillock in time. The "red as blood" simile connotes an image of the striking, bright sun dramatically inching toward the horizon. The comparison of the sun’s color to blood additionally resembles and prefigures Pahom’s own blood descending from his mouth after he collapses on the hillock. The narrator’s use of the simile, therefore, foreshadows Pahom’s death.
The Bashkirs' stupidity (Simile)
"They are as simple as sheep, and your land can be got almost for nothing" (12).
Here, the Devil, disguised as a passing merchant, compares the Bashkirs to sheep while persuading Pahom to travel to Bashkiria for his next land acquisition. To pique Pahom’s intrigue, the Devil compares the Bashkirs to sheep to characterize them as simple-minded and ignorant of the high value of their arable, flat land. The Devil knows that Pahom possesses a pathological desire to expand his property ownership and will not hesitate to take advantage of others in an attempt to satiate his obsession. The Devil thus uses this simile to exacerbate Pahom’s greed and draw him closer to Bashkiria and, ultimately, his perdition.
