God Sees the Truth But Waits Essay Questions

What is the significance of Aksionov's wife's dream?

Before Aksionov sets off on his journey to Nizhy Fair, his wife asks him not to leave, as she has dreamt about him returning from the fair with grey hair. While she interprets the grey hair as symbolic of some terrible fate befalling her husband, Aksionov dismisses her concern, saying that it must be good luck. However, the wife's premonition proves significant, as it foreshadows how Aksionov prematurely ages due to the stress of being wrongfully imprisoned. Over his twenty-six years in Siberia, Aksionov grows a grey beard and his hair turns white as snow.

What forms of justice are depicted in "God Sees the Truth, But Waits"?

In "God Sees the Truth, But Waits," Tolstoy uses dramatic irony to instill in the reader sympathy for Aksionov, whom the reader knows to be innocent. As Aksionov is put through the tribulations of being punished for a crime he didn't commit, the reader watches Aksionov calmly accept his fate as the victim of a flawed criminal justice system composed of people eager to see the crime pinned on him. Tolstoy also depicts the inverted and private justice that Aksionov practices in relation to Semyonich: even though he knows Semyonich to be guilty, Aksionov doesn't repeat the cruelty used against himself, choosing instead to spare Semyonich any punishment. The leniency and mercy Aksionov demonstrates so profoundly shake Semyonich's sense of morality that he confesses to Aksionov and begs forgiveness. Aksionov says that God will forgive him, which points to Aksionov's faith in God's justice.

What role does acceptance play in "God Sees the Truth, But Waits"?

As one of the story's major themes, acceptance plays a central role in "God Sees the Truth, But Waits." Even though Aksionov is subjected to profound injustice, he tries to accept his fate as a wrongfully imprisoned person, putting his life in God's hands. Although Aksionov develops a new personality in prison as a devout Christian and peacemaker, his calm demeanor is rattled when Semyonich arrives and inflames in Aksionov feelings of misery at his unjust treatment. Aksionov's response to Semyonich reveals how he has never truly accepted his fate. But once Aksionov grants God's forgiveness to Semyonich, Aksionov finds that a lightness enters his heart. He is free of carrying the burden of never accepting his life, and once he accepts his life, he no longer needs to live it, dying soon after.