God Sees the Truth

Leo Tolstoy’s story of “God Sees the Truth, But Waits”, is a story of forgiveness and redemption. I think that throughout the story it shows the progression of Aksionov. At first he is just a merchant who gets drunk, than once he is wrongly convicted for slitting a fellow merchants throat and is in prison he becomes more respected. The fellow inmates look up to him and call him “grandfather”, even the governor comes to him and asks him who was digging the hole to escape since he is a “truthful old man”. After spending 26 years in the prison I think Aksionov prays to God for redemption and then he meets Makar Semyonich. When he realizes that Makar is the reason he is in prison and is the real murderer he becomes very angry – yet still prays to God. When he has the chance to turn the tables on Makar for digging the hole to escape he does not and instead saves him. This surprises Makar and makes Makar realize that he was wrong to let such a good man suffer in prison and seeks Aksionov for forgiveness. Aksionov forgives him and it is then that Aksionov feels redemption and is set free.

God Sees the Truth, But Waits

A literary element that jumped right off the page at me when I first started reading was Tolstoy’s use of foreshadowing. Early in the story, Aksionov’s wife warns him to “not start to-day,” because she “had a bad dream” about him. She then elaborates that in her her dream he returned from the town, proceeded to take off his hat, and when he removed it his “hair was quite grey.” Although his wife wards him of his iminent malevolence, Aksionov brushes it off, claiming that her dream is “a lucky sign.” Aksionov then later gets arrested for murdering a merchant, and is thrown in prison. His wife eventually comes to visit him and says “it was not for nothing I dreamt your hair had turned grey. You remember? You should not have started that day.” She then asks him “Vanya dearest, tell your wife the truth; was it not you who did it?” Aksionov then laments “so you, too, suspect me!” By saying this, Aksionov reveals that someone even as close to him as his wife is unsure of whether or not he actually did the crime. This ties in with the title, “God Sees the Truth, But Waits.” Aksionov then furthers the connection to the title by saying to himself, “It seems that only God can know the truth; it is Him alone we must appeal, and from Him alone expect mercy.” He then encounters the man who actually killed the merchant in prison. The man plans on escaping, and tells Aksionov of his plan. Eventually one of the guards sees the hole, and all of the prisoners are questioned. However, Aksionov will not tell, because it is “not God’s will that [he] should tell.” Eventually, Makar Semyonich confesses that he was the man who killed the merchant, but Aksionov had already died by the time the order for his realease came.

The Nose

The Nose was such an odd short story. The whole time I was reading it i could not figure out the main point of the story. The author is clearly leaving the imagination up to the reader because he never explains why the nose was unattached in the first place or how it reattached itself in the end. Is it suppose to represent that idea of a monarch losing its citizens? The Monarch needs it citizens much as a man needs his nose. The nose is clearly rebelling and believing itself to be more superior than the man causing the man to run around trying find it to contain it to be placed back in its rightful spot which is his face. The idea of such a absurd story of a man losing his nose is compensated by the man awaking in the end finding his nose to be back on his face. This lead me to believe that it had all been a dream. That is why is believe the author to be coy and not giving great detail of how the nose was able to detach itself because in a dream nothing makes sense just like this story. And again because the author ends his story on the man “awaking” can only lead me to believe that this was in fact a dream.

God Sees the Truth but Waits

I believe the irony of this short story to begin in the title. Like all good stories there is usually a significant meaning in the title and this short story is no exception. The idea of a man falsely accused of murder finding comfort in God while he spends his life in prison the central idea around this story. One that is so sure of his faith would surely question why God intends to punish him even though he has not done wrong. It is clear that this story shows the idea of God knows best and that even though the main character dies before being sent home yet is “peaceful” plays on the idea that God knows what is best and that there is a destiny for everybody. The irony that his wife has a dream that something bad will happen and then something bad does indeed happen is an example of foreshadowing. There had to be a climax in order for the story to be enticing and that was that the actual murderer was also forced into that prison years later and later on admitting to the main character crying for forgiveness. By doing so that author is able to forgive and with that he is able to die peacefully. Therefore bringing the central theme together that God has a plan is placed.

God sees the Truth

God Sees the Truth, But Waits

This story is one that I had actually read before yet never really had the ability to fully appreciate. This allegory of a man who is wrongly accused of a crime goes through moments of doubt and petition then comes to grips with the situation and looks to god as his one true savior is not as I once believed a simple story of entertainment and intrigue but rather a retelling of the Christ story placed in a modern sense (modern being relative). This is a very effective way of getting a moral across that in its original form had become stale. Giving rebirth to the Christ story thru this narrative I believe is quite effective. This is a story about forgiveness and how you must be forgiving of others in order to be forgiving of yourself.

I grew up mostly going to Catholic schools and that background has been very effective in leading me astray from the formal teachings of the church. I feel that the establishment has taken a group of moral ideas and values and used them to create this false idol of sorts. Over the years I have come to the conclusion that it is not the specific names, dates, times, and stories that make religion a valid exercise but rather the morals of those stories that matter. I personally think that is the desired result that Mr. Tolstoy is going for in this story. This retelling of the Christ story takes the emphasis off the character of Christ and focuses on the moral of forgiveness.

God sees the Truth

God Sees the Truth, But Waits

This story is one that I had actually read before yet never really had the ability to fully appreciate. This allegory of a man who is wrongly accused of a crime goes through moments of doubt and petition then comes to grips with the situation and looks to god as his one true savior is not as I once believed a simple story of entertainment and intrigue but rather a retelling of the Christ story placed in a modern sense (modern being relative). This is a very effective way of getting a moral across that in its original form had become stale. Giving rebirth to the Christ story thru this narrative I believe is quite effective. This is a story about forgiveness and how you must be forgiving of others in order to be forgiving of yourself.

I grew up mostly going to Catholic schools and that background has been very effective in leading me astray from the formal teachings of the church. I feel that the establishment has taken a group of moral ideas and values and used them to create this false idol of sorts. Over the years I have come to the conclusion that it is not the specific names, dates, times, and stories that make religion a valid exercise but rather the morals of those stories that matter. I personally think that is the desired result that Mr. Tolstoy is going for in this story. This retelling of the Christ story takes the emphasis off the character of Christ and focuses on the moral of forgiveness.

God Sees the Truth but Waits

The story God sees the Truth but waits is a very spiritual story.  Even in the title there is a spiritual reference to God.  The story starts off with Aksionov with his family and the narrator tells us that when he was a young man he liked to drink and would get riotous when he drank too much.  As he got married though, he stopped drinking except for every now and then.  Later during the story when he is found guilty of murdering the merchant and sent to a prison in Siberia and he gave up on all hope except for God.  He says specifically “it seems only God can know the truth”.  Aksionov wrote no more petitions to help free himself and only prayed.  Aksionov was very spiritual during this time.  Tolstoy, to me, was trying to show a stark contrast in the physical vs spiritual.  Aksionov is described as having white hair, long beard, he would stoop, and he walked slowly.  However, during this time he often prayed.  Towards the end of the story when Semyonich admits to killing the merchant he also cries out to God to forgive him.  Aksionov tells him that God will forgive him.  Knowing the Semyonich confessed and that he was to be proven innocent of the horrendous murder Aksionov dies.  The reason that I believe Tolstoy had Aksionov die before getting released from the prison was to show that all he needed was the peace that everyone would know that he was innocent and that the man who committed this crime was found.  Spiritually, Aksionov died because now, an innocent man, he was totally at peace and there was nothing left for him in this life.

The Yellow Wallpaper

So far this semester the Yellow Wallpaper has been my favorite short story. Gilman from start to finish kept me extremely entertained and wanting more. Throughout the whole story I wondered was she suffering from mental illness or just merely obsessed with the wallpaper. Gilman’s story directly reflects what she is dealing with in real life.  She focuses on the wallpaper so much that it pretty much drives her to insanity.  I believe Gilman was writing about her  life through symbolism  the wallpaper. “The woman in the wallpaper”  was Gilman. She was trapped in all aspects of life. In the story when she looks at two different gardens, this scene is very symbolic of the story. One side of the garden is described as beautiful; while the other side is described as haunted and deathily. The beautiful garden represents freedom and happiness. The dark side represents how she feels now. Not only does she feel trapped within these walls, but she feels like she is alone. In many lines of the story, I got this sense of she wanted to be saved from the wallpaper. Maybe the beautiful garden is where she wanted to be saved to?  These questions can go on forever. It’s hard to say she was mentally insane, because a character is not real. As discussed in class, it’s hard to put human qualities such as illness on a character when they are not real. It’s easier to say she was just haunted by the room; rather than say she was suffering from mental disorder. Overall I really did like this story.

God sees the Truth.

I really enjoyed reading “God See’s the Truth, but waits.” for some reason a story about redemption and forgiveness always gets me. in the story the main character is wrongfully accused of a murder he didn’t commit, and is sentenced to jail for 26 years. from there he learns to accept and find peace in his new jail life. from there the actual murderer is transferred to the same prison and the main character confronts him. after the real murderer sees the main character not snitch him out he confesses his murder. This is where every characters role comes in full circle. the main character has been at peace, and has made the other prisoners happier, while also having the real murderer find peace with himself after confessing to what he did. i didn’t think there was any other way to end the story than to have the main character, Aksionov, die. this I’m guessing was an obvious reference, or symbol, of either jesus, or god, or some christ like representation. usually in most biblical stories the enlightened one usually ends up dieting shortly after they become enlightened. i enjoyed this story because it was more relatable than an exodus 20:13 excerpt, or something really old and hard to read. i also enjoyed how relatable the main character was. in most redemption, or enlightenment tales, the main character usually starts off at his or her bottom, wheather its drugs, their attitude, or emotionally they start off balance. but Aksionov was just a normal likable average guy, which makes it seem real.

God Sees the Truth, But Waits

Well, what a completely frustrating story. I mean I felt angry and sad the entire time I was reading it! However, I strangely really enjoyed it. One of the main reasons I enjoyed this was because of the way it was written. It was simple, to the point. There was a lot of description but it wasn’t to the point where it was so many adjectives that you forgot what the point of the sentence was, which has often happened in the previous stories we have read. This story was easy to follow because the amount of action that was taking place. As far as the actual story line goes, I think it’s the most captivated I’ve been in a story so far this semester. I actually gasped out loud when the guards pulled out the bloody knife from his bag. I got very strange looks from my roommates when that happened. Also, I think the message that Tolstoy was portraying was a very important one: forgiveness. I think we’re all guilty of wanting to get revenge on someone for their wrong doings, but it’s important to think about your actions before doing something you’ll regret. It probably would’ve felt so good for Aksionov to tell the guards that Makar was the one digging the tunnel but he carefully thought about the repercussions of his actions and decided to keep his mouth shut. He was exactly what Tolstoy described him as, a good, honest, fair man. This story taught me that in order to let go of negativity I must always forgive. And to do the right thing even when it’s the hard thing to do.