The Bashkirs represent the almost mystical relationship to the soil that Pahom, as a Russian peasant, used to have. Since being emancipated, however, his whole attitude towards the ground beneath his feet has changed dramatically. Instead of seeing it as his ancestral homeland—as an extension of his soul—he looks upon it purely as a commodity: an object to be bought and sold.
Pahom's so obsessed with acquiring as much land as possible, so blinded by greed, that he fails to see the dangers involved in the seemingly auspicious bargain offered him by the Bashkirs. The Bashkirs haven't abandoned their traditional relationship to the soil; unlike Pahom, they have the correct attitude towards the land on which they live. They represent the time-honored peasant mentality that Pahom left behind when he embarked upon his epic land grab.
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