Introduction
In “God sees the truth but waits” the author’s deep seated faith in God and moral values is expressed
Innocent man charged of murder
In Vladimir, a young, attractive businessman named Ivan Dmitrich Aksionov lived with his wife and children. Although in his youth, he had given in to drinking and living a carefree life, he had now settled down and lived a responsible, productive life. One day he decided to make a trip to a fair where he could sell some of his merchandise. His wife objected to his trip saying that she had a bad dream about this trip. Aksionov ignored her apprehension and proceeded.
On the way, he stopped at an inn, where he met another merchant he knew.
They stayed at the inn in rooms next to one another. Being an early bird, he proceeded at dawn. After traveling twenty-five miles, however, he was intercepted by a local police officer. He questioned him closely about the time he had spent at the inn. He claimed that the other merchant had been found with his throat slit. Aksionov seemed a likely suspect since he knew the man and since they shared neighbouring rooms. Aksionov vehemently denied any involvement in the murder. However, when his bag was searched, a blood-stained knife was found.
Circumstantial evidences
Although Aksionov protested claiming innocence, he was arrested and charged with the murder. Even his wife wondered if he might have been involved, since the circumstantial evidence was so convincing. A petition to the Czar for clemency was turned down. Aksionov bade his wife and young children farewell, reflecting that only God can know the truth, he waited. As Aksionov’s wife also suspected him, he stopped petitioning to Tar.After being severely flogged, he was sent to work in the mines in Siberia. During his twentysix years of imprisonment there, his hair had turned grey. His cheerful personality disappeared, and his body began to weaken. He never showed any signs of happiness and frequently prayed to God.
Faith lessens sorrow
While imprisoned, he became a boot maker. He earned enough money to buy a book called The Lives of the Saints. He read this book whenever there was light. On Sundays, he took a prominent role in the religious services, and sang in the choir of the prison church. The wardens and guards appreciated his humility. Other prisoners regarded him with respect, calling him “Grandfather” and “The Saint.” He became their representative when they needed to deal with the authorities. They trusted him so much that they treated him as a kind of judge, who could settle disputes and disagreements amongst them. Meanwhile, he had no information about his family nor any contact with them. He thought that they might all be dead, for all he knew.
Reviving old wounds – a new discovery
When a new shipment of prisoners arrived one day, Aksionov eventually realized that one of the men, Makar Semyonich, was from his own home town. In response to Aksionov’s questions, Maker informed the old man that Aksionov’s family was prosperous. Maker seemed to know Aksionov somehow, leading the latter to wonder if Makar knew, anything about the murder of the merchant. Maker’s reply led Aksionov to begin to suspect that it was Maker who had in fact committed the crime.
Tormented by painful memories and by a sense of all the years he had lost, he eventually accused Makar, privately, of having murdered the merchant. Makar ignored the accusation even though Aksionov had caught Makar trying to dig a tunnel to escape the prison. Aksionov could easily have reported this deed to the authorities. But he chose to keep quiet, even after Makar threatened him with death. When the tunnel was eventually discovered, no one would identify Makar as the culprit who had been doing the digging. Governor believed Aksionov will not tell lies, who was closely questioned by him. He denied knowing who had been digging. He did not want to see Makar harshly punished. He even started wondering if he had wrongly suspected Makar of murdering the merchant.
Transformation of a criminal
Later that night, Makar came to Aksionov’s bed and begged the old man for forgiveness. He confessed that he’had indeed killed the merchant and had hidden the blood-stained knife in Aksionov’s bags. He offered to confess to this crime so that Aksionov could be released from prison and go back to his home and family. Makar continued to beg Aksionov for forgiveness, especially since Aksionov had not revealed what he knew about Makar and the tunnel. Both men were soon weeping, and Aksionov said “God will forgive you! Maybe I am a hundred times worse than you.” Having said this, he suddenly felt a load leave him. He no longer cared about leaving the prison. He only desired death. Makar did eventually confess to having killed the merchant. Ironically, by the time Aksionov’s pardon arrived, he was already dead.
Conclusion
The story’s essence is that forgiveness is the best sort of revenge in life. The hard core criminal Makar Semyonich undergoes a spiritual transformation because Aksionov had forgiven him in spite of unjust suffering for 26 years. In the end, Aksionov gets peace of mind. It is only after he forgave Makar that he enjoyed serenity and was able to die in peace.
