GOD SEES THE TRUTH, BUT WAITS

A LITERARY RESEARCH PAPER

GROUP 6 BECQUEREL
CASTRO, AL PATRICK
DE LOS SANTOS, JOSHUA
MACAPAGAL, REINHARD
ESPEJO, ALTHEA
RODRIGUEZ, CHANIA

I. INTRODUCTION

“God Sees the Truth, But Waits” is a short story written by Russian author Leo

Tolstoy, first published in 1872. The plot revolves around a merchant named Ivan

Dmitrich Aksionov, who faces injustice and learns how fate works the hard way after

being falsely accused, then convicted of murder. The main character has a very strong

faith and is completely devoted to God, which is why the readers are bound to question

God’s ability of giving justice to those who truly believe in Him and wonder why He

serves justice too late in some situations. The moral of the story is debatable and is up

to the readers to analyze and decide.

II. LITERARY THEORIES

Two literary theories will be applied in our analysis of “God Sees the Truth,

But Waits” to further understand it.

Biographical criticism analyzes a writer’s biography to show the

relationship between the author’s life and their works of literature. It may be used
 with discretion and insight or employed as a superficial shortcut to understanding

the literary work on its own terms. It was met with disapproval by the New Critics

of 1920s who coined the term “biographical fallacy” to describe criticism that

neglected the imaginative genesis of literature.

Psychological theory reflects the effect that modern psychology has had

upon both literature and literary criticism. It heavily involves the analysis of

fictional characters using the language and methods of psychology. It may also

include an investigation of the creative process of the author: what is the nature of

the literary genius and how does it relate to normal mental functions.

III. SUMMARY

A. BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, usually referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy,

was born in Tula Province, Russia on September 9, 1828. He was the fourth of five

children of Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy, a veteran of the Patriotic War of 1812,

and Countess Mariya Tolstaya (Volkonskaya). Tolstoy's parents died when he was

young, so he and his siblings were brought up by relatives. In his early life, he

struggled with his studies and drifted through life ending up with large gambling

debts. He then joined the army with his older brother in 1951. This was about the

same time that he started writing autobiographies which then led to short stories

and novels. Tolstoy is considered as one of the greatest authors of all time and is

best known for the novels War and Peace, and Anna Karenina. He died on

November 20, 1910 due to pneumonia.

B. SUMMARY
 There lived a successful merchant in the town of Vladimir named Ivan

Dmitrich Aksionov. In his youth, he lived wildly but abandoned this lifestyle when

he was wed and blessed with children.

One summer, Aksionov bade his family goodbye for he was about to travel

to the Nizhny Fair in Novgorod. His wife begged him not to go, as she dreamt that

dreadful things may happen to him. He laughed this off and embarked upon his

journey.

Halfway through his journey, he stopped at an inn where he met a merchant

he knew from before and had tea with him. Aksionov rose early the next day and

continued his trip. After travelling twenty-five miles, he stopped on the side of the

road to feed his horses when he was approached by three soldiers, who questioned

him closely about the time he had spent at the inn. It turned out that the other

merchant had been found with his throat slit open, and Aksionov seemed a likely

suspect since he knew the man and since their rooms had been adjacent. Aksionov

vehemently denied any involvement in the murder. However, when his bags were

checked, a bloody knife was found.

Although Aksionov protested his innocence, he was arrested and charged

with the murder. Even his wife wondered if he might have been involved, as the

evidence was nigh unopposable. Aksionov bade his wife and young children

farewell, reflecting that only God can know the truth, and that only God can provide

true clemency.

After being severely flogged, he was sent to work in the mines in Siberia.

During his twenty-six years of imprisonment there, his hair turned white, his happy-
go-lucky personality disappeared, and his body began to weaken; he never showed

any signs of happiness and he frequently prayed to God.

Then, Aksionov met a man named Makar Semyonich, who acted very

weirdly when he was told why Aksionov was imprisoned. It became apparent to

Aksionov that he was the real perpetrator of the murder that occurred twenty-six

years ago, causing Aksionov to lose everything.

Aksionov was furious but remained silent about it. His resolve was tested

when he discovered that Semyonich was digging a hole under the wall. Semyonich

threatened to kill Aksionov if he dared to tell on him, but if he remained quiet then

he could escape with him. Aksionov retorted by saying that Semyonich killed him

long ago, thus he had no wish to escape.

The following day, the tunnel was found and each of the prisoners were

interrogated about the tunnel. All denied knowledge of it. When Aksionov was

asked, he debated to himself for a long time whether he should tell on Semyonich.

However, at the end he spared Semyonich’s life by keeping quiet.

That night, Semyonich came to Aksionov to apologize for twenty-six years

of suffering and offered to confess to authorities that it was he who killed the

merchant, and Aksionov would be released. He pointed out that he had nowhere to

go even if he was released. From this exchange, he finally gained peace in his heart.

His longing for home left him and hoped for his last hour to come.

In spite of what Aksionov had said, Makar Semyonich confessed. But when

the order for his release came, Aksionov was already dead.
IV. DISCUSSION

A. THEORY

It is important to examine Leo Tolstoy’s life to fully understand the

short story. Tolstoy’s situation at the time of writing was pitiful, to say the

least. Three of his children had died, which was the cause of anxiety attacks

and desperation for Tolstoy. He found religion as an outlet to overcome his

crises and started searching for the meaning of life. He rebelled against the

dogmatic preaching of the Orthodox church, and as a result, was

excommunicated by it.

“God Sees the Truth, But Waits” reflects the author’s life through

its exploration of the relationship between man and God. The spiritual and

emotional crises that he experienced are reflected in Aksionov’s twenty-six

years in a cold and desolate slave camp in Siberia. Tolstoy’s opinion of his

suffering is implicitly told through Aksionov’s unjust persecution – he

himself does not know whether he deserves it or not. He left it to God to

pass judgment.

A different outlook can be offered by applying a psychological

approach. Aksionov retained his values even after twenty-six years of

incarceration, showing a stalwart sense of identity, and security. When

Aksionov did not give up Semyonich’s name, he lent mercy to a man who

had destroyed his life, resulting in Semyonich finally feeling remorse for

his actions twenty-six years ago.

 There is an evident contrast in the presentation of the two main

characters. Aksionov’s character is portrayed from his thoughts and actions

and with that we get to know more about his outlook in life. Semyonich’s

on the other hand can be gathered from his dialogue and speech, his inner

thoughts have not been mentioned and with the help of his speech we find

out that he has no care in the world, doesn’t feel guilty about his crimes as

mentioned above.

The focus is into the morals and values that people hold above all

adversity.

B. TEXT

A. EXPOSITION

Aksionov was a merchant from Vladimir and has his own family. On his

way to Nizhny Fair he met a merchant and had some tea with him. The next

day, he was accused and arrested because the merchant who was with him had

been killed.

B. RISING ACTION

He was imprisoned for 26 years in Siberia and leant to make boots and

earned money then he bought the lives of the saints. It’s because he believes

that it is only God who knows the truth and while he was in jail, he became

more prayerful and religious. He then gained the trust of convicts and same with

the prison authorities.

 C. CLIMAX

Makar Semyonich together with his companion was arrested because of

many crimes (excluding the murder of the merchant). And the convicts had

conversations and there Aksionov found out that Semyonich was the one who

killed the merchant. One day the governor went to the jail and questioned all

the convicts who has been digging under the hole. Aksionov didn’t tell the

governor who was it even if he knows that it was Makar Semyonich.

D. FALLING ACTION

The night after the governor went there, Makar went to Aksionov and

begged for his forgiveness. When Aksionov heard Makar sobbing, he too began

to weep and told him “God will forgive you”. Then Aksionov’s heart grew light.

E. RESOLUTION

Makar Semyonich confessed his guilt inspite of what Aksionov told him.

But when the order for his release came, Ivan Dmitrich Aksionov was already

dead.

V. CONCLUSION

“God Sees the Truth but Waits” is a thoughtful take on the meaning and

significance of forgiveness. It is a short story that seeks to guide the readers’ attention

towards the importance of faith in the building up of a correct notion or outlook on their

life.

The story implies with its title that, at times, we may think God is unfair because

of the injustices that we experience. However, as the plot progresses, its shows the
value of waiting. God can answer our prayers quickly and startlingly, but God can also

move subtly, cumulatively, and imperceptibly so that he who prays is unaware of His

work.

In the short story, Tolstoy emphasizes that God does not necessarily rescue us

physically from unfortunate events but blesses us the spiritual growth that we gain from

these personal trials. It tells the readers about how human forgiveness is one of our

primary virtues. In the story, when Makar asked for forgiveness and acknowledged the

crime he did with his free will, Aksionov showed his virtue and used his free will to

forgive.

In conclusion, the story is, in and of itself, act of forgiveness. It touches upon the

lessons of forgiveness, injustice, and mercy, teaching the readers that even against the

bleakness of life, we should be able to draw from this and find a sense of peace.