Literary elements in The Master and the Margarita

Master and Margarita

Born in Kiev in 1891, Mikhail Afanas'evich Bulgakov experienced a series of political upheavals that would influence not just his personal life but also his writing. The author produced several plays, poems, and novels, the most famous of which is the Master and the Margarita. Most if not all of Bulgakov's work reflects the tumultuous times in which the author lived. The Master and the Margarita, for instance, was written during "one of the darkest decades of the century," (Peavear and Volokhonsky). That darkness permeates the mood of the Master and the Margarita and also influences the complex plot and characterization in the novel. In the Master and the Margarita, Bulgakov creates several different layers of reality. Each of these layers are intertwined to present a bleak vision of life under Soviet rule. However, Bulgakov's political views are cloaked because he relies on clever literary devices. The Master and the Margarita uses multiple realities, magical realism, and abundant symbolism to convey the themes of corruption, greed, and social control. Using the three different settings for the novel allows the author to explore these multiple themes from different perspectives. Using magical realism and symbolism enables the author to address the political realities of the Soviet Union indirectly and therefore safely.

The Master and the Margarita "takes place on three levels, each of which provides a commentary on the others," (Liukkonen). The three levels of the Master and the Margarita include the level of Moscow, the level of Jerusalem during the time of Jesus, and the level of fantasy. Each of these levels or layers of reality are necessary to carry out the central themes of greed, corruption, and social control. These themes are explored in great depth because of the multilayered perspective that Bulgakov provides in the novel.

Layering the book into three different realities is a literary element that enhances the structure of the novel and helps the author to achieve the goal of presenting themes of greed, corruption, and social control. However, the three layers are related to each other and are not separate stories. For example, in all three levels characters like Satan are connected with the other layers. This literary device provides a common thread connecting all three layers of reality.

Ultimately, each of the three layers of reality depicted in the Master and the Margarita relates to the Soviet setting that author Bulgakov attempts to explicate. The most obvious setting connected to the Soviet themes of greed, corruption, and social control is of course Moscow. In the Moscow setting of the Master and the Margarita, Bulgakov includes a representation of what it is like to be a writer during and after the Russian Revolution. Reflecting the author's own personal experiences as a writer in revolutionary Russia, the Moscow section of the Master and the Margarita includes some biographical elements. More importantly, the Moscow section of the novel serves as a literary device that helps Bulgakov achieve the three main themes of greed, corruption, and social control.

The writers in the Moscow setting of the novel meet together, but their meetings are infiltrated by a formal organization that is headed by Satan. Satan is, moreover, determined to thwart the literary goals of the group and destroy their human spirit. Writing is depicted as a potentially threatening act of subversion, which the Soviet government needs to stamp out in order to prevent social unrest. Without this layer of the novel, Bulgakov would have a difficult time showing how Soviet Russia impacts human creativity. Yet the Moscow setting also exposes the greed of the Moscow bourgeoisie, represented by the audiences of plays. In real life, Bulgakov was a playwright and so is apparently making a commentary on his observations.

The part of the novel taking place in ancient Jerusalem does not directly explore Soviet Russia. This allows Bulgakov to address the evils of the Soviet Union in a less direct way than if he had set the entire novel in Moscow. Satan, Jesus (Yeshua Ha-Notsri), and Pontius Pilate become real, three-dimensional characters that nevertheless do have an impact on the way the Moscow reality operates. Finally, the third section of the Master and the Margarita is the part that centers on the supernatural powers of Margarita. Margarita has been empowered as a witch and her powers are depicted as having a redemptive quality. Margarita provides some of the novel's only hope that the evils of Satan and the Soviet Union can be overcome with human love, creativity, and ambition.

In addition to structuring the novel into three distinct but interrelated parts, Bulgakov also employs symbolism as a literary element that helps to convey the central themes of greed, corruption, and social control. Just as the three unique settings of the novel allow Bulgakov to explore these three central themes in an indirect and safe way, so too does symbolism help the author achieve this goal. Symbolism is by definition an indirect literary language. The settings of Jerusalem during the time of Christ plus the setting of Margarita's fantasy world allow Bulgakov to address greed, corruption, and social control from a perspective that is not simply the bleak reality of Soviet Moscow. The symbols that represent Soviet Moscow and Stalin include the character of Satan (Professor Woland).

Satan is a central and a symbolic character that impacts each of the three layers of the Master and the Margarita. Satan is also an ironic character in that it is through Satan's power that Margarita eventually becomes a powerful witch with the power to heal and uplift humanity. Satan therefore represents the dichotomy of communism in Russia. On the one hand, Bulgakov comments on the terribly shallow greed exhibited by the bourgeoisie in Moscow. Satan, shown through the symbol of the magic show, dupes this bourgeoisie. Unlike Margarita's real magic, the magic show is just a fake display of power. Bulgakov therefore shows through the symbol of the play that the filthy rich do not think for themselves.

Bulgakov uses symbolic and fantastical scenarios as analogies for real-life situations, and to make a political point about greed, corruption, and social control. Throughout the novel, the literary types are the targets of greed, corruption, and social control. Christ represents the act of martyrdom, and writers like the titular Master and Ivan Ponyrev (who must write under alias "Homeless") are symbolic martyrs. Other examples of symbolism in the Master and the Margarita include the death on Good Friday death, the crucifixion (which also represents martyrdom) and the concept of eternal life in literature.

Finally, Bulgakov relies on magical realism to convey the central themes of greed, corruption, and social control. Magical realism enables Bulgakov to create characters like Satan, a talking black cat, and sorcerers. Moreover, magical realism permits Bulgakov to use the other two main literary elements: symbolism and layered reality. It becomes normal for characters like Satan to have magical powers, just as it becomes normal for Margarita to become a witch with supernatural powers. Magical realism works as a literary device in a novel that is trying to make broad social and political commentary about life in the Soviet Union.