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Chapter 3 God Sees the Truth but Waits
Class 11 English
Exercise
Leo Tolstoy
About Author
Name – Leo Tolstory
Date of birth – 1828
Nationality – Russian
Death – 1910
• He was a novelist, short story writer, play writer, and essayist.
• His best works: War and Peace, Anna Karenina.
• His fiction includes dozens of short stories and several novellas
such as The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Family Happiness, and so on.
Main Theme
The main theme of this story is about the suffering of a person who
has spent his Twenty-six years in prison for false conviction without
any crime.
He has waited for God’s decision in his lifetime.
Finally, God’s decision arrived, but it was too late, so the author
wishes to convey the message that God is always evaluating our
patience and attempting to teach us about life values.
Summary
This short story “God Sees the Truth but Waits” is a heart touching
short story by Leo Tolstoy.
This story is about a Young Merchant whose name was Ivan
Dmitrich Aksionov from Vladimir a city in Russia. He was quite a
handsome man who had two shops and a house. Before marriage,
he used to drink a lot and show his bully behavior but after marriage, he gave up drinking and lived happily with his wife and
children.
One day Ivan planned to go to Nizhny Fair to sell his goods. Before
setting off, his wife stopped him from going to the fair. She related
that nightmare which she has dreamed. In her dream, she saw that
he has returned back with grey hair. Aksionov did not believe in her
dream and leaves for the journey.
On his way, he met another merchant with whom he spent his
night together in an inn. The next day he got up early and
continued his journey. But on his way, two local soldiers stopped
him for inquiry. They informed Aksionov about the merchant
murder whose dead body has been found in the inn’s room with his
throat cut.
Aksionov trembled with fear. Soldiers took him back to
the inn’s room and searched his luggage where they found a bloodstained knife. So he was imprisoned despite his appeal of being
innocent.
Later his wife came to visit him and asked him to tell the truth. She
might suspect him because he was an alcoholic before marriage. He
felt very sad thinking that his wife did not believe him.
So he thought only God knew the truth. He was severely punished
and sent to Siberia. He suffered for 26 years in prison. Within the
time he became a prayer of God, become humble, and had grey
hair. As time passed, a new prisoner named Makar Semyonich
come into prison. He behaved as if he was familiar with Aksionov
and the event.
One night Aksionov saw Makar was digging a hole
through the prison but he did not tell the governor about the
incident. So Makar felt gratitude for him and confessed that he was
the real murderer of the merchant. He felt sorry for what he had
done. So Makar confessed the murder to the governor. However,
when his release came, Aksionov was found dead.
Analysis
• This story promotes superstitions and belief in God. It also
highlights the significance of dream.
• It gives the lesson that we should listen to the other advice
because sometimes their advice might turn into something
very important.
• We should carefully check up our belongings before we leave
for somewhere.
God Sees the Truth but Waits- Complete
Exercise
Understanding the text
Answer the following questions.
a. What bad habits did Aksionov have before his marriage?
Answer: Aksionov used to drink before his marriage and was riotous
when he drank too much.
b. What can be the meaning of his wife’s dream?
Answer: The meaning of his wife’s dream can be the bad fortune or
unlock.
c. Why did Aksionov think of killing himself?
Answer: When the Aksionov meet the real murderer of the
businessman, he had lost everything. He was not getting support
from the family members too, kept in prison for 26 years, grown
old before time. So he thought of killing himself.
d. Why did Makar disclose that he had killed the merchant?
Answer: Makar disclosed that he had killed the merchant because
he realized his mistake and thought that he should not let other be
punished for his crime. He did so because he felt pity over Aksionov.
e. Why doesn’t Aksionov wish to return to his family at the end of
the story?
Answer: Aksionov doesn’t wish to return his family his wife was
dead, he didn’t know about his children and lived in the name of
God at the end of the story.
Reference to the context
a. “Well, old man,” repeated the Governor, “tell me the truth: who
has been digging under the wall?”
i. Who is that old man?
Answer: That old man is Aksionov.
ii. Which truth is the speaker asking about?
Answer: The speaker is asking about the truth of digging an escape
hole.
iii. Which wall does the speaker mean?
Answer: The speaker means the prison’s wall.
b. Describe Aksionov’s character.
Answer: Aksionov is the protagonist of the story “god sees the truth
but waits” written by Leo Tolstoy. He is a young merchant. He is a
handsome, fair-haired, curly-headed fellow, full of fun and very
fond of singing. He used to drink much before marriage but later
on, he changed himself and became a good man. He had virtuous
qualities such as faith, forgiveness, freedom, and acceptance. His
comfortable life is disrupted when he is framed for a murder he
didn’t commit and was sent to a Siberian prison camp. He earns a
reputation as a good person among the prison officials and fellow
prisoners. After finding himself imprisoned with the man who
framed him, Aksionov is ready to kill himself. However, at the end
of the story, he is able to forgive Semyonich. He dies shortly before
the authorities order him to be released.
c. What is the theme of the story?
Answer: In the story ‘God Sees the Truth, But Waits’ by Leo Tolstoy
we have the theme of guilt, forgiveness, faith, conflict, freedom
and acceptance. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed
narrator the reader realizes after reading the story that Tolstoy may
be exploring the theme of forgiveness.
If the plea of his wife to the Czar is denied, Aksionov realises that he
cannot rectify his wrong. He commits himself to God to offer him
that righteousness which a man cannot give him.
Aksionov becomes a modest and pious person in jail. Officials and
inmates appreciate him in settling disputes for his neutrality.
Aksionov’s trust in God is so great that he thinks that he must be wicked to deserve God’s tortured life.
After Aksionov is reluctant to report the drilling of Semyonich’s
tunnel, Semyonich is disturbed by the compassion of Aksionov.
Aksionov eventually gives forgiveness to Semyonich.
d. Which symbols are used in the story and what do they indicate?
Answer: The most important symbols in this short story are
Aksionov’s house (and two shops) and the Siberian prison mine
where he is sentenced to hard labor. His house and two shops
represent his family, his material possessions, and his earthly
affairs. The prison itself is a symbol of his suffering and his eventual
spiritual transformation.
Reference beyond the text
a. What role does religion play in Aksionov’s life? How does he
undergo a spiritual transformation in the story?
Answer: This story is all about Aksionov who lost hope and just
trusted God. Though he didn’t commit any crime, he was
imprisoned for 26 years. Makar revealed the truth that he was the
real murderer. Aksionov forgave him for accepting the truth and
attained self-realization. But when the order of his release came,
he was already dead. Our weakness can only make the problem
stronger. Being hopeful can make all things possible. The title
means that every decision of God needs enough time. This story is
for all those people who lose hope and don’t believe in God. We
should wait for the truth to win with a faith in God. God gives us
the answer to all our problems, as the title says ‘God Sees the
Truth, But Waits’. At the end of the story there is a shift from
materialism to spiritualism.
b. What does the story tell us about the existence of an unfair
system of justice?
Answer: The story tells us that one who commits the crime must be
punished and kept in prison but not the innocent one. As here in
the story, Aksionov did not commit any crime but he was kept in
prison whereas the real murder Makar was not punished. Thus this
story depicts about the unfair system of justice.
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