“I do not wish to escape and you have no need to kill me; you killed me a long time ago! As for speaking about you, I can do it or not, as God directs me. The story “God Sees the Truth, But He Waits” by Leo N. Tolstoy is a wonderful example of how short stories are able to introduce powerful concepts to readers in very limited circumstances. Tolstoy's story is full of dynamic characters, internal and external conflicts, a gripping plot, vivid settings, and a very enlightening theme. By analyzing these various aspects of his story in detail, readers will be able to understand how effective Tolstoy's work is as an addition to the literature of short stories. However, it is undoubtedly the power of the underlying theme of the story that truly defines this piece as a wonderful and effective tale. In short, the story is a third-person omniscient narrative whose plot revolves around the life of the young merchant Ivan Dmitrich Aksionov who resided, at one point, in the city of Vladimir, Russia. The introduction to the story begins with a brief description of Ivan. He is a man who got married, stopped drinking and seems to be directing his life towards a very positive path. However, one summer day, his wife warned him not to go to a local fair, claiming that she had a dream in which he came home with gray hair. At the beginning of the story, Ivan failed to heed his warning and found himself in a situation where he was falsely accused of murder, flogged, and forced to spend twenty-six years in Siberia; as if that wasn't enough, his wife had given up all faith in him and he had lost contact with his family. Broken and despondent, Ivan took what he could from his time in Siberia; he befriended the prisoners and helped them every time... half of the paper... provided by the text itself firmly establishes the conclusion that Tolstoy's "God sees the truth, but waits" is perhaps the epitome of the short story literature with the its deep and compelling plot, the characters' dynamic personalities and relatable theme. The parallel transmigrations of Ivan and Makar's characters from sin and desperation towards virtue and faith carry with them the essence of character dynamism and plot depth that brings readers into a deeper relationship with the story itself. By these standards, Tolstoy's story is indeed effective as a short story, and its inclusion of the moral that "the right thing will happen sooner or later" is perhaps equally strong in its ability to hold readers' attention and instill in gives them a sense of mystery as much as it is able to inspire them to seek the more spiritual side of every situation they may face in life.