Shane Tomashot
Review: The Master and Margarita
The novel The
Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov, is a masterpiece of the
Stalinist-Soviet era of the twentieth century.
Bulgakov, in his banned novel, elucidates his vision and interpretation
of the period under harsh Stalinist and Communist bureaucratic oppression. These interpretations, not made evident until
the book’s release in the mid 1960’s, deal not only with love and devotion, but
also with good and evil, virtue and remorse, and responsibility and
redemption. Motivated and inspired by
Goethe’s themes found in the literary tale Faust,
the book ranges from hilarious interludes and occurrences to deep philosophical
views of society and political parody. The novel itself interplays three stories: the
first concerning the devil (Stalin?) in Moscow in the 1920’s and 1930’s (although
no years are given by Bulgakov), the story of the Master and his love,
Margarita, and the topic of the Master’s novel, Pontius Pilate and Jesus. Within these three stories is an amazing
portrayal of comedy, philosophy, heartbreak, betrayal, fear and love.
Woland’s
(the devil) attacks on literary society in Moscow is likely a portrayal of
Stalin’s crackdown on artistic expression in the early 1930’s. Bulgakov experienced this crackdown
firsthand, actually writing a letter to Stalin in the 1930’s asking to leave
the Soviet Union. Stalin instead allowed
Bulgakov to enter a writer’s guild, although continued to repress the
literature and art created by the guild’s artisans and writers. In the novel, Woland’s henchmen, including
the personified black cat (Behemoth) and the tall freak with the pince-nez
glasses, contribute to this fear of “big brother” with their recurring
appearances in places visited by the book’s characters.
Bulgakov
makes his views of Soviet officials and society in general apparent throughout
the novel as well. One official, for
example, is seen by office visitors (or not seen!) as an empty suit working at
a desk. The suit answers phones,
shuffles papers and carries on government business, but has no visible hands or
head. Bulgakov portrays other officials
who oversee Moscow apartments as apparatchiks with no real direction or
knowledge of how to interact with people in difficult situations. Moreover, Bulgakov points out the greed and
selfishness, or perhaps desperation, of Soviet citizens in pursuit of better
living quarters and money. Berlioz’s
uncle, for example, comes to Moscow after the death of his wife’s nephew
(Berlioz) only with the intent to claim Berlioz’s Moscow apartment. Of course, he finds it has been commandeered
by the devil and his retinue. People
crazily diving after ten Ruble notes at the devil’s black magic performance,
only to find out later that the bills are fake, is yet another example.
Bulgakov
daringly plays with themes of religious fear and remorse throughout his novel
as well, with the story (as told by Woland and the Master) of Pontus Pilate and
Jesus (Yeshua Ha-Notsri). Perhaps this
is Bulgakov’s way of defying and making fun of the reality of Stalinist and
Communist imposed atheism on Russian society.
How ironic that the devil himself has to convince two atheists, Berlioz
and Bezdomny, that Jesus really did exist.
Moreover, Bulgakov’s (or the Master’s) portrayal of Pilate as having
misgivings over the crucifixion of Jesus may be his way of wondering or perhaps
hoping that Soviet officials may feel the same remorse for sequestering Soviet
society. His portrayal of Levi, a former
tax collector who watches in agony as Jesus and three others are executed, may
also indicate this notion, since Levi later approaches Woland to ask for the
Master and Margarita to be reunited.
His
portrayal of Jesus as believing that “all men are good” as opposed to Pilate’s
belief that “all men are bad,” not only speaks to the theme of the book, but
also to the Soviet authority. This
speaks to the theme of redemption prevalent throughout the book in that people
can be redeemed and can forgive others even for the most heinous of
crimes. Bulgakov may be saying that even
Stalin’s crimes, although not to be forgotten, are to be forgiven if one wishes
to find one’s own salvation and peace.
Even the devil shows compassion, putting Margarita through the hell of
the criminal ball yet then permitting her to return to the arms of the
Master. Hence, perhaps the main lesson
of Bulgakov’s work is that happiness is not found by distinguishing good from
evil but rather through redemption and the reconciliation of one’s own
soul. If Bulgakov seeks vengeance over
his treatment by Soviet authorities, he will never find peace.
The
character of “the Master” is, likely, Bulgakov himself. The Master has been driven insane by the
rejection of his novel by critics, who deem it as “Pilatism,” and the
censorship of literature in general. His
depression and anxiety have landed him in a mental hospital and deprived him of
his love, Margarita. Although the Master
attempts to burn his manuscript, Margarita saves a part of it which she
cherishes in her lover’s absence. The
key problem for the Master, however, is not so much the people and oppressors
around him but rather his inability to overcome fear itself. Pilate pervades the entirety of the novel,
combining the three stories, and is perhaps a reflection of how Bulgakov felt
about himself and Soviet society in general; remorseful and seeking
redemption.
The love
story between Margarita and the Master is one of beauty and allusion. The realities of a forced and contrived
society rife with selfishness and repression pull them apart. However, their reunion is a symbol of
overcoming the system. Although Margarita
has to do the devil’s bidding (sell her soul and become a witch), she does it
to reunite with her lost love. She is
redeemed, however, because she is sincere in her devotion. Even the devil himself is somewhat of a
redeemer, as he helps to reveal the stories of Margarita, Pilate and
Jesus. Perhaps Bulgakov was speaking
here to the power of the human spirit, in that even when manipulated by a devil
(Stalin and the corrupt governing system) people can still persevere. Every character, in the end, finds some
semblance of redemption. The characters
and hence society live on because, as Bulgakov famously makes clear in the
novel (as said by Woland), “manuscripts don’t burn.”
The Master
and Margarita is indeed a masterpiece of literary art. One could read it numerous times and come
away with new meanings and life lessons each time. Its themes of redemption and the enduring
nature of the human spirit are the characteristics that allow the novel to
continue in perpetuity. It is
unfortunate that Bulgakov did not live to see the success of his magnum
opus. However, if the lessons and beauty
of his book ring true, perhaps he does know of its success.
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