The difference between a dynamic and a static character is defined by the degree to which the character evolves within the course of the story. The personality of a static character will remain constant, with their traits, flaws, and mindset never significantly changing between the story's beginning and its end. Dynamic characters, on the other hand, will undergo real and significant character development across the story's course.

Pahom, on the whole, is written as a static character. As a personality, he is first and foremost defined by his land hunger. He is someone who is never truly content with what he has, and any satisfaction he feels is strictly temporary, lasting only until a new, more advantageous opportunity catches his attention. Throughout this story, he seems trapped in a vicious cycle, and this will ultimately lead to his demise in his dealings with the Bashkirs.

As the story approaches its climax, we see that same characterization in full force, with his avarice far exceeding the bounds of common sense. What is interesting, however, is that here, as exhaustion sets in and the conditions become increasingly grueling, at the very end of the story, Pahom does seem to have a moment of self-awareness concerning the degree to which he has overreached in his desire for still greater amounts of land, and the severe danger that he has therefore found himself in. And yet, what is important here is not so much this momentary epiphany, but the fact that, once again, nothing really changes. Pahom is still trapped in the cycle, trying to complete the circuit before time expires, even when the exertion of doing so kills him.