Leo Tolstoy first. “God sees the truth, but waits” tells a story, of a man sent to prison for a murder he didn't commit. The short story takes the form of a parable of forgiveness. The fragment I am discussing is part of rising action.
The characters appearing are the main character, the Russian merchant Aksionov, and an official with two soldiers. The global issue shows up in this fragment both in the story and the literary layer.
The merchant, who is the victim of a wrongful accusation and is deprived of his freedom, is a limited character. He is also a dynamic character because throughout the story his perception of freedom has changed.
Government officials, on the other hand, represent the limiting factor. The way they are presented in the fragment shows that things that can limit our freedom are unstoppable, inevitable, and we have no control over them.
Another element that draws attention is the retrospective narration. The limited omniscient third-person narrator draws the reader's attention to details such as the bloody knife and the stolen money.
In this fragment, blood is a symbol of death, which is a human limitation. Awareness of mortality and fear of death often causes people to fear the finiteness and fleeting nature of life and limit actions and thoughts.
In the beginning, we can see the uncertainty of the protagonist caused by the interrogation, which is shown by the rhetorical question he asks. "Why do you cross-question..."
Another moment in which we can see his sense of freedom being restricted is the strong stress and insecurity caused by the accusation him of being a criminal. This is shown by epithets such as a pale face and a broken voice.
The final limitation of the main character's freedom is revealed in the passage "Then the trial came on..." The authorities sentenced an innocent man to imprisonment.
