Master and Margarita by Mikhail

Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

Taken individually, no single detail of Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita is overwhelmingly unique, but the combination of rarely-used features results in a very unique novel. The novel tells multiple stories in different perspectives and in different settings. It also features the idea of a fiction within a fiction. Master and Margarita is a difficult novel to place into a genre, because its three different settings each present a different genre. Moreover, none of the genres is fixed, so that the style of the novel is difficult to describe. The first setting of the novel is 1930s Russia, which reflects the time period in which Bulgakov was writing, making the setting a contemporary novel. The second setting of the novel is the Jerusalem featured in the Master's novel, which is a story about Christ and Pontius Pilate. That setting makes the second setting of the novel best characterized as historical fiction. The third setting of the novel is more ambiguous; it might best be described as a type of fantasy land, based on 1930s Moscow. As such, the third setting almost defies being placed into a genre. It could be described as urban fantasy, fantasy, science fiction, or even magical realism. However, the style and structure of the novel, with its three distinct settings and different sets of characters, cannot be explained without understanding the political climate in Russia at the time that the novel was written. With such an understanding, it becomes clear that the novel is satirizing Stalinist Russia. Moreover, when one understands the political restrictions on artists and literature during that time period, what becomes even clearer is that the novel, with its talk of Satan and strongly fantastical elements, may best be classified as seditious literature.

In the 1930s, Russia was under the control of Stalin. Stalinist Russia was notable for its incredible restrictions in personal liberty. Not surprisingly, one of the populations targeted for control was artists, including authors. In addition, though theoretically a communist country, Stalinist Russia was remarkable for its abuse of power and institutionalized greed, wherein those in power profited while those beneath them languished without. It is also important to realize that religion was basically forbidden during that time, so that references to God and Satan in literature were literally outlawed. Therefore, for a novel to lambast the Russian political system, speak of Christ, speak of the Devil, and discuss the restrictions on novelists, clearly established the novel as a satirical discussion of Russia's political system. The use of satire compounds the use of the fantastic. Generally, a story with elements like the ones contained in the novel, such as a protagonist who flies and the presence of the Devil would be considered to be a fantasy novel. However, authors frequently incorporate elements of the fantastic into political satire. As a result, when the novel is viewed against the backdrop of a Russia which was increasingly restricting personal, religious, and civil liberties, it becomes clear that the entire novel must be characterized, first and foremost, as satire.

The first setting of the novel is 1930s Russia. The Devil, who is masquerading as Professor Woland, plays tricks on people, presumably members of academia or the literary elite, during Holy Week. Woland is accompanied by several assistants: Koroviev, Behemoth, Azazello, Abadonna, and Hella. Although the setting is contemporary Russia, the acts depicted are clearly outside of the realm of natural experience. This supernatural element injects an element of The second part of the first setting features the story of the Master. The Master is an author whose work has been destroyed. The result of that destruction is that the Master has either gone insane, or been adjudged insane, though the novel seems to suggest that he is not insane, but has simply chosen to depart with reality. The novel does not necessarily explain why the Master has gone insane, but it does inform the reader that the Master has written a novel about Jesus Christ and Pontius Pilate, set in Jerusalem just prior to Jesus' execution. It also informs the readers that, prior to becoming insane; the Master had a lover, Margarita. When the reader first meets the Master he has forsaken Margarita, but it is clear that she has not forsaken him.

The second setting of the novel is the Jerusalem depicted by the Master in his story of Christ and Pontius Pilate. While this is clearly historical fiction, it is interesting to observe how Bulgakov changes his story-telling approach when discussing Jerusalem. Generally, the story of Christ is replete with supernatural elements, because he reportedly worked numerous miracles and was believed to be the human manifestation of God. However, in this novel, the setting of Jerusalem is a mundane setting, which appears more realistic and less fantastic than either of the other settings used in the novel. Bulgakov makes it clear that Pilate is not the villain in the story, but nor is he a hero. Pilate clearly does not believe that Jesus is guilty of the crimes of which he has been accused. In fact, he seems to admire Jesus, who is showing him quite of compassion. While there are fantastic elements, such as the fact that Jesus seems to be aware that Pilate is suffering such a massive headache that he is fantasizing about killing himself, Jesus' character explains away much of what seems supernatural by explaining that he has been observing Pilate's body language. (Bulgakov, p.24-26). Like much of the rest of the novel, Bulgakov's characterization of Jesus must be considered in contrast to the surrounding anti-religious propaganda, which was depicting Jesus as a bad man. In contrast, Bulgakov has Jesus refer to himself as Pilate's "unwilling torturer" because his verbal responses are causing Pilate's head to hurt. (Bulgakov, p.25). This is an interesting juxtaposition, given that Pilate is the one who is apparently in control of the situation. That small element reveals the deeply religious nature of the novel, and how it is satirizing the government's attempts to eliminate religion, because Jesus clearly feels that he is remaining in control of the situation, even at his trial, when he knows that he is facing death.

The third setting of the novel still appears to be 1930s Russia. However, it is no longer necessarily in Moscow; instead it is in a rural environment. The actual location of the third setting is not clear, however, it is the nighttime, and it is a rural environment. Margarita, who has learned to fly, flies into the night over the countryside. The third setting of the novel features some parts of Moscow, because, after Margarita flies through the night, she comes back to help Satan host a party, which is held in Moscow. However, this setting is only partially Moscow; at the party the guests arrive from Hell via some type of portal or opening between the world and Hell. Therefore, it would be more accurate to describe the third setting of the novel as fantasy.

What is interesting is that Margarita's preparations to host the ball bring about some of the interestingly religious and sacrilegious elements in the novel:

Midnight was approaching; they had to hurry. Margarita dimly perceived her surroundings. Candles and a jeweled pool remained in her memory. As she stood in the bottom of this pool, Hella, with the assistance of Natasha, doused her with some hot, thick and red liquid. Margarita felt a salty taste on her lips and realized that she was being washed in blood. The bloody mantle was changed for another- thick, transparent, pinkish- and Margarita's head began to spin from rose oil. Then Margarita was laid on a crystal couch and rubbed with some big green leaves until she shone.

Here the cat burst in and started to help. He squatted down at Margarita's feet and began rubbing up her soles with the air of someone shining shoes in the street. (Bulgakov, p.261).

Anyone with even a passing familiarity with Christianity, especially as it is observed in both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, is aware that blood plays an important symbolic role in Christianity. That Margarita is anointed in blood could be interpreted two different ways. Either she is becoming holier, since blood plays an important cleansing function in Christianity, or she is becoming more pagan and less holy, since the blood is being used in a way that differs from Christian religious tradition. The symbolism and meaning become more difficult to discern when the cat begins rubbing and cleaning Margarita's feet. In the Bible, Jesus has his feet cleaned by a woman, and this symbolic gesture demonstrates her devotion to him. Is the fact that the cat, one of the Devil's accomplices, is prostrating himself to Margarita and cleaning her feet a sign that he is accepting the fact that she will resist temptation or simply the fact that she has been elevated to the status of his mistress by the Devil? Either way the passage is interpreted, it is clear that Bulgakov is using religious imagery to help construct the fantasy elements of the third setting.