God Sees the Truth, But Waits

"God Sees the Truth, But Waits" (Russian: "Бог правду видит, да не скоро скажет", "Bog pravdu vidit da ne skoro skazhet") is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy first published in 1872. The story, about a man sent to prison for a murder he didn't commit, takes the form of a parable of forgiveness.[1] English translations were also published under titles "The Confessed Crime", "Exiled to Siberia", and "The Long Exile". The concept of the story of a man wrongfully accused of murder and banished to Siberia also appears in one of Tolstoy's previous works, War and Peace, during a philosophical discussion between two characters who relate the story and argue how the protagonist of their story deals with injustice and fate.

"God Sees the Truth, But Waits"
AuthorLeo Tolstoy
CountryRussia
LanguageRussian
Genre(s)short story
Published in1872

Summary

Ivan Dmitrich Aksionov is a merchant living in Vladimir, a town in Russia. Although Aksionov is prone to drinking, he is not violent, and he is responsible and well liked by people that know him. One day he decides to go to a fair as a business venture, but his wife pleads for him not to go because of a nightmare she had the previous night in which he had greyed hair. Aksionov disregards his wife's dream and leaves for the fair.....


Aksionov meets another merchant on his way, and the two decide to travel together. They check into an inn and have a good time drinking. Then they retire separately. Aksionov wakes early in the next morning to get to the fair and leaves without the other merchant. Not far down the road, Aksionov stops and is approached by a few policemen. They explain that a merchant was just murdered and robbed and then search Aksionov's bag. They find a bloody knife, and despite Aksionov's claims that he is not the murderer, he is sentenced and sent to Siberia. After his trial flogging, his wife can finally visit him, and she sees that Aksionov's hair has begun to go gray from the stress.

Aksionov spends 26 years in Siberia. Resigned to his plight, he dedicates his life to God. He becomes a mediator of sorts in the prison, and he is well respected by the other prisoners as well as by the guards. One day some new prisoners, one of them being Makar Semyonich, are transferred to the prison. After overhearing several conversations, Aksionov is convinced that Makar Semyonich is the man who committed the murder for which he was blamed.

One day the guards notice that someone has been strewing dirt around the grounds, and they search the prison and find a tunnel. Aksionov had found out earlier that it was Makar Semyonich who was digging the hole, but, after being questioned by the police, Aksionov declares that it is not his place to speak about the matter. Makar Semyonich approaches Aksionov that night in a terrible state, eventually admitting to Aksionov that it was he who killed the merchant and he also planned to murder Aksionov but spared him after hearing noises. Aksionov forgives Semyonich, and he feels as if a terrible weight has been lifted. Makar Semyonich confesses to the authorities, and the process for Aksionov to be cleared is begun. However, Aksionov dies before he can be released.

Adaptations

It was adapted into the Indian television series Katha Sagar (1986), directed by Shyam Benegal.

It was adapted into a CBS Radio Mystery Theatre program All Things Are Possible (1978), directed by Himan Brown.

Stephen King's novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption was widely thought to be based on Tolstoy's short story "God Sees The Truth, But Waits", which Stephen King has disavowed. Footnoted article asserted it was, but now (access date April 25, 2020) only states "is similar to" [change citation needed] [2] It was adapted into a feature film, The Shawshank Redemption (1994), starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.[3]

"God Sees the Truth, But Waits" also inspired the 2016 Filipino film The Woman Who Left.[4][5]

See also

References
  1. The Works of Leo Tolstoi. Roslyn, New York: Black's Readers Service Company, 1928.
  2. "15 Things You May Not Have Known About The Shawshank Redemption". IFC. July 15, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  3. The Shawshank Redemption at IMDb
  4. Bradshaw, Peter (October 14, 2016). "The Woman Who Left review – haunting drama of guilt, God and gloomy revenge" – via www.theguardian.com.
  5. "Review: The Woman Who Left | Lav Diaz". Film Comment.
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