The Younger Sister/Pakhom’s Wife Character Analysis

Pakhom’s unnamed wife, and sister of the elder sister. The younger sister is proud of her simple life as a peasant, vastly preferring country living to the more complicated city life her sister leads. Believing that “Loss is Gain’s elder brother,” she alludes to the notion that loss is inevitable whenever wealth is obtained. She openly disapproves of her elder sister’s more luxurious lifestyle and considers hard work a staple of morality. The younger sister claims that, as peasants, her family is “afraid of no one,” and rely only upon themselves to survive. Her defense in the face of her sister’s insults encourages Pakhom to dare the Devil. Pakhom consults his wife in his early attempts to buy land. However, as Pakhom gains more wealth, he interacts with his wife less and less, until she is left behind altogether when he travels to the Bashkirs’ land.