God Sees the Truth, but Waits

The protagonist of the story, Ivan Dmitrich Aksenov, begins the story as a “handsome, curly-headed fellow, full of fun and very fond of singing” (117). Despite being prone to excessive drinking in his youth, Aksenov settles down when he marries; his neighbors, when questioned about his character, insist that “he was a good man” (118). Nonetheless, Aksenov remains a common sinner: His business pursuits establish him as a basically materialistic individual, he can be inconsiderate or dismissive of his family, and his spiritual qualities are underdeveloped.

After he is convicted of a murder he did not commit, Aksenov embraces a new spiritual perspective, recognizing God as the sole source of truth and mercy. A physical transformation mirrors this shift in Aksenov’s perspective: In prison, Aksenov’s hair turns white, he grows a long beard, and he develops a stoop. Aksenov’s behavior is also transformed; the formerly carefree Aksenov, who was playing the guitar when the police came to arrest him and who began the story “full of fun” (117), now speaks little and never laughs. His defining quality becomes his meekness, and his fellow prisoners call him “Grandfather” and “The Saint.” While Aksenov still sings, he now sings only the praises of God in the prison church. The formerly selfish Aksenov learns to put himself entirely at the service of God and of other people (his fellow prisoners).

However, Aksenov’s spiritual transformation is not complete until the end of the story. Aksenov continues to think about his family and the life he has lost, and as such remains shackled to the temporal world; indeed, when a new prisoner arrives at the camp from Aksenov’s hometown, Aksenov immediately asks about his family. Aksenov also fails to fully acknowledge himself as a sinner. Because of this, he is overcome by anger when he suspects that the new prisoner, Makar, was the one who actually carried out the murder. Only when Makar begs for his forgiveness is Aksenov finally able to recognize himself as a sinner, saying to Makar, “Maybe I’m a hundred times worse than you” (123). This realization allows Aksenov to give up his longing for his home and his family and to die at peace.