★★★★★ 5
One of My Favorite All Time Novels!
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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Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2014
