Ivan Aksyonov left home for a fair and was arrested for murdering a merchant he had met on the road. A bloody knife had been planted in his bag. Even his wife wondered whether he might be guilty.
He spent twenty-six years in Siberia. Prison turned the cheerful young merchant grey, quiet, and devout. Then a new prisoner, Makar Semyonov, arrived. From the way Makar spoke about the old crime, Aksyonov realized he was the real murderer.
Soon Aksyonov caught Makar digging an escape tunnel. The governor asked Aksyonov, known for his honesty, to name the culprit. This was his chance to punish the man who had stolen his life. Instead, Aksyonov said he had seen nothing.
That mercy broke Makar. He confessed the murder and begged forgiveness. Aksyonov found that his hatred had left him; freedom no longer meant returning to a life that had vanished. Makar confessed to the authorities, but the pardon came too late. Aksyonov died before he could leave prison.
Source: Leo Tolstoy, “God Sees the Truth But Waits,” in Master and Man and Other Stories, PDF pp. 122-129. Retold and condensed.
What it argues
Forgiveness can free the injured person before justice frees the prisoner. Aksyonov cannot recover his years, family, or reputation. His decisive victory is refusing to let the guilty man determine what kind of person he becomes.
Use it for: forgiveness, wrongful conviction, resentment, and the difference between justice and revenge.