GOD SEES THE TRUTH, BUT WAITS

THE THEMES

1. Injustice: The story's most obvious theme is injustice. The case against Aksionov is
neither particularly flimsy nor particularly convincing, yet the government authorities
seem eager to pin the crime on him and assume his guilt, even without establishing motive
or recovering the twenty thousand rubles stolen from the merchant. Having determined
Aksionov to be guilty from the start, the police make little effort to investigate other
suspects. And when his wife's appeal to the czar is rejected, Aksionov accepts that the
injustice to which he is subjected will be impossible to rectify. He resigns himself to
waiting for God to deliver the justice that man won’t or can’t give him.

2. Faith: When the justice system of this world, controlled by flawed humans, fails
Aksionov, he puts his faith in God's plan. He knows that only God knows the truth about
him, and thus God is the only authority to whom he should appeal. In prison, Aksionov
transforms into a humble and God-fearing figure, spending the little money he earns from
making boots on a book about the lives of saints. Officials and prisoners respect him for
his fairness in resolving disputes, as though he himself has turned into a religious figure.
Aksionov's faith in God's will is so strong that even when he learns of the circumstances
that led to his plight, he believes he must be wicked to have deserved the torturous life
God gave him.

3. Forgiveness: After Aksionov declines to inform on Semyonich's tunnel-digging,

Semyonich is so shaken by Aksionov's demonstration of mercy that he seeks Aksionov's
forgiveness for framing him. With some reluctance, Aksionov finally grants Semyonich
God's forgiveness, simultaneously suggesting that, for all he knows, in God's eyes he
himself may be one hundred times worse than Semyonich. To utter these words eases
Aksionov's suffering. The act of forgiveness proves to be not only for Semyonich: to
forgive the man also frees Aksionov of his burden of resenting Semyonich and wishing
his life hadn't turned out as it had. After forgiving Semyonich, Aksionov is free to move
on to the afterlife.

4. Acceptance: Another of the story's major themes is acceptance. Despite the injustice he
faces, Aksionov tries early in the story to accept his fate. He dedicates himself to God and
acts humbly and meekly. However, the coincidence of Semyonich being sent to the same
Siberian prison provokes Aksionov's suppressed feelings of resentment. It is only once he
learns to forgive Semyonich that Aksionov truly accepts his fate, at which point he
releases his grip on both his sense of having been wronged and his life.