Matter of Justice and feeling of Tragedy in Leo Tolstoy's “Three Questions”, “The Bird”and“God Sees the Truth, but Waits”

Abstract

The research work based on Leo Tolstoy’s three stories “Three Questions”, “The Bird” and “God Sees the Truth, but Waits” explore the issues of matter of justice, tragedy and suffering. Justice is a relative term not absolute because it depends upon the type of fairness that one feels or in which culture one is born or grown up. It is a spiritual feeling in terms of tragedy that one experiences. Therefore, it is incomplete to define justice alone. Similarly, tragedy and suffering have negative connotations that are not desired by anyone as they provide tortures to human beings. However, justice cannot be measured if there were no tragedy and suffering. The story of “Three Questions” directly or indirectly deals with tragedy, justice and suffering. The king does not understand the importance of work or human value until he experiences himself. He realizes that the suffering that he got after helping the sage and tragedy of about to be killed by the visitor provides him to have right justice. “The Bird” gives similar relation of justice, tragedy and suffering. The boy does not understand the value of justice that his mother reminds until the bird dies because of suffering caused by the boy. The last story “God Sees the Truth, but Waits” brings the same theme of justice, tragedy and suffering. Tragedy occurs to Ivan when he is blamed of murdering a merchant, he undergoes suffering by being imprisoned for twenty-seven years and he gets justice when the real murderer confesses at last. Therefore, they always come together in the society whether people realize or not.