One of the better more interesting stories we have read is “God Sees the Truth, But Waits” by Leo Tolstoy. Not everyone will agree with me but the story gets to the point with out any unnecessary fluff you could say. It reminds me of the movie the Shawshank Redemption in many ways. In this story Ivan is a carefree merchant who decides not to listen to his wife who has a dream about him. Call me crazy but that is bad omens especially back when the story was written. Anyways he goes to the fair, which he was warned not to go to. Things do not go bad right away but sure enough the next day he is raided by soldiers and imprisoned for the murder of some random dude he shared a room at an inn with. Of course the soldiers found the bloody knife on him not a shocker there but it makes the story possible. So while is prison he is referred to as “The Saint” because he is unlike the other inmates and they come to him with their problems and life issues. While this sounds better than getting beat up his life is rough because he is in prison for no reason at all. Then 26 years later a man becomes an inmate and it so happens to be the man who actually committed the murder of the guy at the inn. Ivan has many chances to turn the guy in but doesn’t because the damage has done and towards the end the guy ask Ivan for forgiveness and he says that forgiveness is for God to give not me sir. At the end of the story Ivan dies in the prison that he did not deserve to be in at all. The ending was not that good because he did not get out but still a great story.
Vincent Ibarrola
LITERATURE OF THE SPINE 