Point of View

The story is written in the third person and the past tense, and the narrative is mostly limited to Pahom’s perspective. The main exceptions are when the story briefly shifts to focus on the Devil, as Pahom is never consciously aware of the Devil’s presence. Even the opening scene, which focuses on the two sisters, is arguably within Pahom’s perspective, as he is present to witness the conversation. The main narrative then follows Pahom’s experiences as he pursues land acquisition over a period of several years. The narration often enters Pahom’s perspective directly, in order to convey specific thoughts and emotions. These moments of interiority help to illustrate his pattern of greed, which is never permanently sated or reversed.

Despite the fact that Pahom is the point-of-view character, there is a distinct sense of division between his perspective and the...