GOD SEES THE TRUTH, BUT WAITS.

The title

 The title of the story "God Sees the Truth, but Waits" is the best match for the story
because it reflects the central theme of the story which is about the nature of truth, justice
and redemption.
 The story focus is true justice comes from God and that forgiveness is liberating.
 Throughout the story, the protagonist, Ivan Dmitritch Aksionov is wrongly accused of a
crime he did not commit and is sentenced to prison for 26 years.
 He prays and reads the lives of the saints, and is respected by other prisoners who call
him "the saint."
 The title highlights the idea that God sees the truth of Aksionov's innocence, but chooses
to wait and allow the natural course of events to unfold.
 The story also brings up the idea of human justice versus divine justice.
 Aksionov is denied justice in the human court system, but he finds peace and redemption
through his faith in God.
 He is ultimately vindicated when the real criminal confesses, but this comes after
Aksionov's death, highlighting the idea that justice may be delayed but it will be served
ultimately.
 The title also highlights the motif of waiting that runs throughout the story.
 Aksionov waits for justice, his wife waits for his release and his children wait for a father.
 Makar Semyonich, the real criminal, also waits for Aksionov to speak up but he is
ultimately the one who waits for forgiveness.
 In addition, the title of the story implies that the author believes in a higher power that
judges fairly and ultimately

The Plot Summary

 "God Sees the Truth, but Waits" is a short story by Leo Tolstoy, that follows the story of
a man named Ivan Aksionov, who is falsely accused of murder and robbery and is
sentenced to 26 years of imprisonment in Siberia.
 Before he is framed and accused of the heinous crime Ivan Dmitritch Aksionov is a
young merchant from the town of Vladimir. He owns two shops and a house.
 As a young man, he was unruly and drank too much liquor, but he stopped drinking when
he got married.
 One day he bids his family goodbye as he is leaving for the Nizhy Fair. His wife
dissuades him from going since she has had a bad dream about him. She dreams that he
will return when his hair is quite grey. She beseeches him to put off the journey till a later
date. Ivan Dmitritch Aksionov laughs it off and says that that is a lucky sign and carries
through with his intended journey.
 Halfway through the journey he meets a merchant, who is an acquaintance of his. They
spend the night at the same inn, have tea together and sleep in adjoining rooms.
 The next morning Ivan Dmitritch Aksionov awakens his driver, pays the owner of the
inn, and they leave before dawn.
 After about 25 miles, Aksionov decides to rest while his horses are fed. He is then
approached by an official accompanied by two soldiers. The official questions him,
revealing that the merchant he spent the night together with at the inn had been murdered.
 Aksionov denies having taken part in any wrongdoing but when his luggage is searched
the officer finds a blood-stained knife.
 The official insists that Aksionov murdered the merchant and continues to cross-examine
him on how he did it and how much money he stole. Aksionov pleads innocence claiming
that he only has 8000 rubles and that the knife is not his.
 With the odds stacked against him, trembling and looking guilty, Ivan Dmitritch
Aksionov is apprehended. His money and goods are seized. He weeps bitterly. Inquiries
are made about him in his hometown of Vladimir and it turns out that he used to drink a
lot and loaf in his younger days but he is a good man.
 Nonetheless, he is charged with murder of the merchant from Ryazan and stealing 20,000
rubles from him.
 His wife visits him in prison. She is restricted from seeing him at first. After begging, the
officials allow her and the small children to see Aksionov. She faints at the sight of her
loving husband in prison attire and in chains, locked up with thieves and criminals.
 They talk a bit and he tells her that she must petition the czar to spare an innocent man
the anguish of unfair retribution. His wife informs him that her efforts to petition had
borne no fruits. She then reminds him of her portentous dream about the grey hair and
says: “Vanya dearest, tell your wife the truth, was it not you who did it?” Ivan Dmitritch
Aksionov weeps in disbelief when even his dear wife is dubious, disbelieving, and
suspicious.
 He realizes that only God knows the truth and it is only to Him that he should appeal.
 After that, Aksionov stops writing petitions and gives up all hope, praying only to God.
He is condemned to flogging and sent to the mines. He is flogged with the knots and sent
to Siberia. He lives in Siberia for 26 years as a prisoner. His hair and beard turn grey and
he transforms into a frail old man who walks slowly, speaks little and never laughs.
 One day, a fresh gang of convicts comes to the prison and among them, Aksionov meets
a man named Makar Semyonich.
 Ivan Dmitritch Aksionov begins to suspect that Makar Semyonich is the one who
committed the murder he had been accused of. This makes him deeply afflicted that he
contemplates taking his own life. He remembers his earlier life as a freeman with fond
nostalgia. He feels deeply downcast when he recalls the happier times with his laughing
wife; seeing his little children and how young, happy and free from care he was.
 He also remembers the day he was apprehended, the flogging, the executioner, chains,
convicts and the twenty six years in undeserved confinement and hard labour.
 He feels deep anger and hatred for Makar Semyonich and longs for revenge. He prays all
night but finds no peace. His preceding days and nights are riddled with misery.
 One night, he stumbles upon Makar Semyonich attempting to dig a hole under the wall to
escape. Makar Semyonich threatens to kill him should he tell on him.
 To which Ivan replies that “… you killed me long ago. As to telling of you - I may do so
or not, as God shall direct.”
 When the convoy soldiers discover the tunnel and question Ivan Dmitritch Aksionov, he
responds that it’s not God’s desire that he should tell. He reasons that he will gain
 nothing taking revenge on Makar Semyonich, even if he made him pay for his
transgression. He has no faith in the human justice system.
 That night Makar Semyonich comes to Ivan Dmitritch Aksionov's bed and confesses his
crime and begs earnestly for forgiveness. Makar Semyonich sobs as he desperately pleads
with the old man to pardon him. Ivan Dmitritch Aksionov also begins to weep.
 Surprisingly, he says simply “God will forgive you. Maybe I am a hundred times worse
than you.”
 At this point, his heart grows light and he no longer desires to leave the Siberian prison
and go home. He only desires to die and be with God.
 Makar Semyonich confesses to the authorities but by the time they order for Ivan
Dmitritch Aksionov’s release he is already dead.

Themes in God Sees the Truth, but Waits by Leo Tolstoy

THEMATIC CONCERNS
a. Wrongful conviction and imprisonment.

 Aksionov comes out to question the essence of honesty, truth and justice if he suffers in
the prison caves of Siberia under wrongful conviction and subsequent incarceration for
twenty-six years. (p71).
 Mistaken identity runs through this story. Ivan Dmitritch is arrested for spending a night
with an acquaintance of a fellow merchant at the inn who leaves before dawn.
 This is because the merchant is killed during the night by a thug who hides the knife in
Ivan's bags. This is what makes the police officer arrest him on suspicion. (p69, 70).
 At the story's beginning, Aksionov is characterized by dynamic character and setting. He
is lost in liquor but later starts a business and owns two shops. (p68).
 He leaves and loses his home, family and his freedom.
 Truth depends on context. It is true that the bloody knife is found in his bags and that he
had slept close to a fellow merchant, but then it is not true that he kills him. (p69).
 By the end of the story, Aksionov has an opportunity to be free and return home, but he
no longer desires to leave the prison but only hopes for his last hour to come.
 He is unfortunate because he is sentenced to prison for 26 years for a murder that he did
not commit.
 He is also mentally strong because he can endure many tragic events, such as losing his
home and business.

b. Faith and devotion

 Ivan Aksionov displays a strong religious devotion by growing closer to God during
difficult times. However, at the story's end, he only seems to care about his faith and
being close to God.
 Ivan relies on God as he is the only constant in his life. At the end of the story, he has no
desire to return home. His only wish is to be with God.
 At the story's beginning, Ivan and his wife don't have the best relationship as he leaves
for Nizhny Fair even after his wife asks him to stay. Later, she doubts his innocence after
he is convicted of murder.
  Faith keeps Ivan going after losing everything, being charged with murder and sent to
prison in Siberia.

c. Innocence and guilt

 Aksionov is falsely accused and convicted of murder and theft, despite his innocence.
The true killer, Makar Semyonich, ultimately confesses to the crime, highlighting the
theme of guilt and the possibility of wrongful conviction.

d. Redemption

 Makar Semyonich ultimately seeks Aksionov's forgiveness and redemption for his
actions, expressing remorse for the suffering he caused him. Aksionov forgives Makar,
illustrating the power of forgiveness and the ability for individuals to change for the
better.

e. Justice and fairness

 Throughout the story, Aksionov faces an unjust legal system, being convicted based on
fabricated evidence. The theme of justice and fairness is highlighted by the contrast
between Aksionov's punishment and Makar's lack of consequences for his crime.

f. Sacrifice and selflessness

 Aksionov makes a sacrifice for the well-being of Makar by not exposing him and Makar's
guilt leads him to make sacrifices to try to make amends.

g. The passage of time

 The story spans a period of 26 years, and its protagonist experiences significant aging and
change over the time.
 The theme of the passage of time serves to illustrate the effect of incarceration on a
person's physical and emotional well-being, as well as the effect of time on memories,
feelings and relationships.

Stylistic Devices used in God Sees the Truth, but Waits by Leo Tolstoy
LANGUAGE AND STYLE
a. Imagery

 Imagery is a literary device used in poetry, novels and other writing that uses vivid
description or language that is visually descriptive that appeals to a readers' senses to
create an image or idea in their head.
 Imagery also aims to portray the sensational and emotional experience within text.

b. Vivid Description
  The story uses imagery to create a vivid picture of the prison and the conditions the
convicts are living in. For example, when Aksionov is describing the prison he says "The
place was dark and damp, and the air was full of the smell of rotting straw and the breath
of sick men." This imagery creates a powerful picture of the prison in the reader's mind.
 Tolstoy initially describes Aksionov as a "handsome, fair-haired, curly-headed fellow,
full of fun, and very fond of singing. "This vivid description will prove essential as a
contrast to Aksionov's rapid transformation into an old man, which results from his
wrongful imprisonment.
 After the official discovers a knife among Aksionov's possessions, Aksionov is unable to
respond: He trembled with fear - "... his voice was broken, his face pale, and he trembled
with fear as though he were guilty.“

c. Symbolism

 Symbolism is the use of words or images to symbolize specific concepts, people, objects,
or events.
 The character of Makar Semyonich serves as a symbol of Aksionov's own guilt and the
weight of his conscience.
 Makar's confession of his guilt and Aksionov's reaction to it symbolizes the process of
redemption and forgiveness.
 Aksionov’s grey hair symbolizes what is to come. Before Aksionov departs for the Fair,
his wife tells him of a dream she had the previous night, in which he returned from the
Fair with grey hair. He merely laughs and says it's a good omen, but this ominous symbol
has more import than he realizes, as his grey hair foreshadows how the stress of his
wrongful imprisonment will prematurely age him.
 The bloody knife unexpectedly found in Aksionov's bag functions as the crucial piece of
evidence needed to convict him. Since he is actually innocent, this knife stands as a
symbol of Aksionov's lack of control over his fate. Later in the story, he learns that
Semyonich planted the knife among Aksionov's possessions, having decided to frame
him for the crime rather than murder him.
 While in prison, Aksionov earns some money by working as a bootmaker, which he uses
to buy the book The Lives of the Saints, a popular volume of biographies of famous
Christian figures written in the 1700s by Catholic priest and scholar Father Alban Butler.
The book represents Aksionov's religious devotion and how he steadily comes to
resemble a religious authority himself. While other men drown in selfishness and self-
pity, Aksionov becomes the grandfather figure of the prison camp, the honest man in a
group of thieves.

d. Irony

 Irony is when something that is said or done is in contrast to reality or to what is

expected.
 An example of irony is when Aksionov was falsely accused of killing the merchant and
was sentenced to prison, while the real killer, Makar Semyonich, lived freely.
 The irony is that Aksionov was an innocent man and was punished for a crime he didn't
commit.
e. Foreshadow

 Foreshadowing is a literary device used to give an indication or hint of what is to come

later in the story.
 The story uses foreshadowing through Aksionov's dream of his hair turning grey, his wife
predicts that he will come to a bad end because of this, this foreshadows his
imprisonment and suffering.

Characters and their Characterization in God Sees the Truth, but Waits by
Leo Tolstoy
CHARACTERIZATION
List of characters.
a. Ivan Aksionov:

 The protagonist of the story, Aksionov is a merchant from Vladimir who is falsely
accused and convicted of murdering a merchant from Ryazan and robbing him of 20,000
rubles. He spends 26 years in prison, during which time he becomes meek, devout, and
respected by his fellow prisoners.

b. Makar Semyonich:

 A convicted horse thief and one of the new prisoners in Aksionov's prison. Makar is
revealed to be the actual murderer of the merchant, who had framed Aksionov for the
crime. He expresses remorse and asks Aksionov for forgiveness before confessing to his
crime.

c. Aksionov's wife:

 A loving and devoted wife who stays by her husband's side through his trials and
tribulations, she desperately tries to prove his innocence by sending petitions to the Czar
and visiting him in prison.

d. The Governor of the prison:

 The person who is in charge of the prison where Aksionov is incarcerated. He is

portrayed as a fair and just person who trusts Aksionov's words.

e. Soldiers:

 The guards who escort the convicts to work, they play a role in finding Makar's tunnel.

f. The other convicts:

  The fellow prisoners with whom Aksionov share his prison sentence, they respect and
regard Aksionov as a saintly figure and make him the spokesman for their petitions to the
authorities.

Character Traits
a. Ivan Aksionov

 Honest: Aksionov is honest and truthful as he is always willing to tell the truth, even if it
may be detrimental to him. He is a just man who is unwilling to betray Makar
Semyonich, knowing that he would be flogged if he did.
 Forgiving: Aksionov is able to forgive Makar Semyonich despite the fact that he spent
26 years in prison, suffered and lost his family due to Makar's actions. He had a
willingness to forgive and reconcile when Makar asked for forgiveness.
 Meek: He is a meek person who is always willing to take the blame for things he has not
done. He was falsely accused of the murder of a merchant, yet he does not defend
himself, instead he suffers the punishment willingly.
 Religious and pious: Aksionov is a man of strong religious beliefs. He prays and
references God throughout the story. He trusts that God will guide his actions, and
ultimately he believes in God's judgment rather than the judgment of men.
 Patient: He is patient throughout his time in prison, even as he continues to hope for
release, he waits for god's judgment. He remains patient and calm even in the face of
injustice and suffering.
 Just: Aksionov is a truthful and just person, known to be trustworthy by the prison
authorities
 Empathetic: Aksionov shows empathy and understanding towards Makar after he
confesses to the murder, and forgives him.

b. Makar Semyonich

 Deceitful: Makar is deceitful as he killed the merchant, framed Aksionov by putting the
knife in his bag and lied to the authorities about his involvement.
 Remorseful: Makar is remorseful as he begged for Aksionov's forgiveness, regretted his
actions and confessed his guilt to the authorities
 Self-centered: Makar is self-centered as he is mainly focused on saving himself, He tries
to escape and offers Ivan Dmitritch as a sacrificial lamb instead of himself.
 Cowardly: Makar is Cowardly as he runs away and hides when he heard some noise and
when he is confronted by Aksionov.
 Non-empathetic: Makar did not show empathy towards Aksionov's suffering and only
thought of his own safety and release.

c. Aksionov’s Wife

 Loving and caring: wife and mother who is devastated by her husband's wrongful
imprisonment
 Resilient and determined: as she takes her young children with her to visit Aksionov in
prison and pleads with the officials to allow her to see him.
 Selfless: as she petitions the Czar for Aksionov's release even though it is unlikely that
her petitions will be accepted.