In this essay, I want to talk about one of the most famous works of Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov, “The Master and Margarita”, which I really liked. According to V.Ya. Lakshina, Mikhail Afanasyevich wrote his novel for more than ten years. He dictated the last insertions to his wife in February 1940, three weeks before his death.
The basis of this novel is the conflict between good and evil. Good is represented here in the person of Yeshua Ha-Notsri, close in image to Christ, and evil in the person of Woland, Satan in human form. However, the originality of this novel lies in the fact that evil does not obey good, and both of these forces are equal. This can be seen by considering the following example: when Levi Matthew comes to ask Woland for the Master and Margarita, he says: “Yeshua read the Master’s<..>and asks you to take the Master with you and reward him with peace.” Yeshua is asking Woland, not ordering him.
Woland does not come to earth alone. He is accompanied by beings who, by and large, play the role of jesters in the novel, arrange all kinds of shows. By their actions, they reveal human vices and weaknesses. Also, their task was to do all the "dirty" work for Woland, serve him, prepare Margarita for the Great Ball and for her and the Master's journey to the world of peace. Woland's retinue consisted of three "main" jesters - the Cat Behemoth, Koroviev-Fagot, Azazello and the vampire girl Gella.
One of the most enigmatic figures in The Master and Margarita is, of course, the Master, a historian turned writer. The author himself called him a hero, but introduced him to the reader only in the thirteenth chapter. I especially liked this character. Although the master could not pass all the tests unbroken, refused to fight for his novel, refused to continue it, but the very fact that he was able to write the same novel, elevates him above other people and, of course, cannot but arouse sympathy in the reader. Also, it should be noted that the Master and his hero Yeshua are similar in many ways.
The motive of love and mercy is connected with the image of Margarita in the novel. This can be confirmed by what she asks after the Great Ball from Satan for the unfortunate Frida, while she is clearly hinted at the request for the release of the Master.
Personal opinion about the novel "The Master and Margarita"
My impressions after reading the novel
Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita"
After reading the world-famous novel by Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita" one cannot help but be left with no impressions. How many mysteries, mysteries and ambiguities arise in the course of reading, and literary critics and critics are still arguing over some of them and are still unable to come to a single answer ... Bulgakov, in my opinion, managed to create the greatest novel in the history of all world literature, where such diverse, but deep and “related” topics would have been touched upon: the storyline closely echoes the Biblical story, with the events described in the New Testament. But the narration of these events in The Master and Margarita comes from the face of Satan. That is why you can often hear the second unofficial title of the novel - "The Gospel of Satan." How many readings of the novel, so many opinions exist. As the saying goes, “why chase in the footsteps of what is already over?”
The novel carries an extremely deep meaning and, oddly enough, this meaning is contained only in two characters who say things that make you think: the light in the face of Yeshua Ha-Nozri and the darkness in the guise of Woland. The reader sees incredible philosophical sayings and reasoning, meeting these two characters in the course of the novel. It is impossible not to think about their words:
"What is truth?"
“The truth is, first of all, that your head hurts, and it hurts so badly that you cowardly think about death. Not only are you unable to speak to me, but it is difficult for you to even look at me. And now I unwittingly am your executioner. You can’t even think about anything and only dream about your dog coming, the only, apparently, creature to which you are attached ... ”.
“Would you be so kind as to think about the question: what would your good do if evil did not exist, and what would the earth look like if shadows disappeared from it? After all, shadows are obtained from objects and people. Here is the shadow of my sword. But there are shadows from trees and from living beings. Don't you want to rip the whole globe, blowing away all the trees and all living things from it because of your fantasy of enjoying the naked light? You are stupid".
Bulgakov, in my opinion, managed to create a masterpiece novel, where only a real master could so gracefully and incredibly connect the past with the future, darkness with light, show the eternal interweaving of love and fidelity, the confrontation between good and evil. And neither God nor the devil has anything to do with it: the people themselves are to blame for sowing evil towards each other. We must learn not to envy, but to forgive. Then maybe the world will become a cleaner place. It seems to me that the main idea laid down by Bulgakov is an inevitable punishment for deeds. It is no coincidence that supporters of this interpretation point out that one of the central places in the novel is occupied by the acts of Woland's retinue before the ball, when bribe-takers, libertines and other negative characters are punished, and Woland's court itself, when everyone is rewarded according to their deserts. And Woland is not the devil who does evil, but exposes him in the actions of people.
Truth, in my opinion, is present in every line of this novel. She penetrated into him in the same way as "the blood that went into the ground, and where it spilled, grapes have long been growing." Truth is something created by God and not defiled. What has not been touched by the hand of a person who always does everything for his own good. It is unlikely that we will ever know what it is. And if we find out, we will not be able to explain it to others, because it is inside us.
Each hero of the novel experienced his “meeting” with Woland or his retinue in his own way. But personally, I don’t consider Satan, presented from Bulgakov’s interpretation, to be some kind of dark personality ... In The Master and Margarita, he appears in the image of carrying the truth, like Yeshua, but unlike him, punishing for bad deeds. And the bribe-taker Bosoy, the financial director and director of the Variety Rimsky and Likhodeev, and the entertainer Georges Bengalsky, and the barman Sokov ... All of them were severely punished by Woland's retinue, nevertheless, in my opinion, they wondered why everything was happening to them. It is already possible not to talk about the poet Ivan Bezdomny, who, in the course of the novel, radically changed his life positions ... The meeting with the Master made him reconsider a lot. But the very result of these people being punished is vividly presented by Bulgakov. They all have unpleasant memories of meeting with Satan and his retinue. Barefoot, for example, no longer likes theaters, Georges Bengalsky has lost his usual gaiety, and now Professor Ivan Nikolaevich Ponyrev, an employee of the Institute of History and Philosophy, has the same dream every full moon. The next morning he wakes up silent, but completely calm and healthy. His punctured memory subsides, and no one will disturb the professor until the next full moon. Neither the noseless murderer of Gestas, nor the cruel fifth procurator of Judea, the horseman Pontus Pilate.
Roman M.A. Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita can in many ways be called autobiographical. In the image of the Master, one can trace the features of Bulgakov himself. The author "gave" the hero fragments of his biography.
The master appears before the reader only towards the middle of the novel. Before that, we already have time to get acquainted with representatives of the “writing fraternity” of Moscow, to understand that they do not have a drop of creativity or talent. These people do everything for the sake of the authorities, they are terribly afraid of free thinking, they drive really talented people away from themselves. The master is a genius, so he was not accepted. After the publication of his amazing novel, the Master began a real persecution in the press. He was undeservedly scolded, humiliated, insulted. In the end, the hero was driven to madness. The master burned his offspring and went to the "house of sorrow" himself. It is there that the reader first meets him.
The description of the Master is given through Ivan's eyes, and at first we see that he is "... a clean-shaven, dark-haired man with a sharp nose, anxious eyes and a tuft of hair hanging over his forehead, a man of about thirty-eight." And immediately we pay attention to the "brown and very restless eyes of the alien." This is the face of a man driven into a corner.
The homeless man tells the guest the story of his ending up in a psychiatric hospital, and the reader suddenly learns that the author of the novel about the fifth procurator of Judea has appeared before him. Next, we are finally told the story of the Master himself and his beloved. He was a historian, worked in a museum, then unexpectedly won a huge amount of money, quit his job and began to write a novel about Pontius Pilate, which he had been thinking for a long time. Apparently, fate itself pushed him towards creativity, which slowly began to lead him to the abyss.
And then there is Margarita! This is perhaps the most beautiful, lyrical, romantic part of the novel! The meeting of heroes was meant from above. The creator and his muse-inspirer met: “She looked at me in surprise, and I suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, realized that I had loved this particular woman all my life!”
With the advent of Margarita, Bulgakov's favorite theme of love for the family hearth enters the novel. The Master's closet comes to life, becomes much more comfortable thanks to the care of his beloved. These characters live in a separate world where only He, She and Roman exist. This is how the most important theme of creativity for the writer enters the work. “The one who called himself the Master worked, and she, running thin fingers with sharply honed nails into her hair, re-read what was written ... She promised glory, she urged him on, and then she began to call him a master.” Margarita becomes the inspirer of the Master, living exclusively for him and his work. By the way, it is worth noting that she is the only character who does not have a double in the mythological plot of the story. Thus, Bulgakov emphasizes the uniqueness of Margarita and the feeling that possesses her, reaching the point of complete self-sacrifice.
Unfortunately, an eternal stay in a cozy closet was impossible, the Master finished his novel and went out with him: “I first came into the world of literature, but now that everything is over and my death is evident, I remember him with horror!.. » Bulgakov describes this world of “artists” in very unattractive tones. At times, the bitter irony of the author is clearly traced: "I ... was received by some girl with eyes slanted to her nose from constant lies." Apparently, Bulgakov was describing an environment that was familiar to him. The master went with his offspring into the world, but who met him there? All kinds of brass, lavrovichi, arimans ... Small graphomaniacs engaged in pseudo-creativity. After the excerpt from the Master's novel was printed, these MASSOLIT plebeians begin to persecute the genius. Here Bulgakov raises the problem of true and false creativity. He is convinced that only complete surrender to the truth, the desire of the writer to carry the truth of the heart and mind provide the work with real immortality. Through the lips of the Master, the author makes a valuable remark: "It seemed to me - and I could not get rid of it - that the authors of these articles are not saying what they want to say, and that their fury is caused precisely by this." Apparently, some persecutors of the hero felt the full value of his novel, but fear and a desire to please the authorities took their toll. They poison the writer, bring him to a lunatic asylum and complete abandonment of his offspring. The master kills the novel and, overwhelmed by the society of pseudo-writers surrounding him, goes mad. master margarita bulgakov creativity
I think Bulgakov called his novel "The Master and Margarita" because these are the most important characters in the work. It is through them that the writer introduces the theme of true and false creativity into the novel. It was the Master who wrote the novel, which runs through the whole work and raises a number of philosophical questions and problems. And Margarita is the one who always accompanied her lover. It was only thanks to Margarita that the Master was rescued from a psychiatric hospital and his novel was brought back to life.
I refused to read this novel for a long time, largely due to the fact that it was advised by all and sundry. Moreover, I think almost everyone knows the general story, including myself, and this was another reason not to read. But now, having started reading six months ago and having mastered half, I still returned to it and finished off the second half.
There are a million reviews on the book and a little more, so at first I didn’t want to write it either, but then I found the mood and thought - why not. Moreover, it was an excellent reason to evade editing your book.
All for the same reason (fame), I think it is not necessary to tell the plot, I will only share my opinion. The main branch, Moscow, I frankly did not like. Only the appearance of Woland aroused interest, but he participated in only a few scenes, and his servants acted the rest of the time, and it was boring to read for them. How I missed the story for the rest of the characters. The novel is full of characters, and I kept waiting for them to play their role, but, in fact, there is only one important character there - the one who thundered into a psychiatric hospital, and through whom we were introduced to the Master. All the rest ... well, yes, they seem to express what the author wanted to convey, all sorts of secondary ideas, ridicule and the like. But the novel, it seems to me, is still not about that. Not about them. I wanted to finish reading their stories and forget them, especially at the end, when they described the actions of the police, all these searches and interrogations.
In general, I frankly missed the first part of the book, but on the second, when inserts from the past appeared (they were in the first half, but only once or twice, it seems), when Woland became larger, when parallels began to appear - here became more interesting. But, again - read this whole story of Margarita - thank you. How she came off on the critics who rejected the Master, how she was weird and had fun, or how she stood at the ball and got to know everyone ... Yes, this shows the nature of the character, but ... why? This is the "why?" I did not leave until the end of the novel. When the branches of the past and the present began to connect, the answer seemed to appear, but the book ended, and I realized that “why?” didn't go anywhere.
Probably, it is also worth mentioning that I am familiar with the Bible and everything related to it only from what I heard in passing. I fully admit that some allusions passed me by. Or maybe just missed something. But overall, the book left me feeling unfinished. And I'm not talking about a sequel, just the opposite. The ending seems to be quite logical, but I just want to ask - so what? So I read about the suffering of people, about the torment of the Master and Margarita, so they received ... I don’t even know if it was a punishment or a reward, it’s not so important. But - so what?
Perhaps those very high expectations are to blame. This book was recommended so many times and for so many years that I can't even remember. And I expected more from her. I don't know what. But to meet something like this, unfinished - I did not expect this for sure.
At the same time, I can not say anything bad about everything else. The characters are alive, acting in accordance with the characters, very understandable characters. I didn’t like the style in places, especially when the author clearly acted as a narrator, but this is how it is.
It's funny, but Woland's actions cause the most questions. It is clear that he is not a simple guy - Soton in the flesh, and ordinary mortals cannot understand him, but ... his mistress must be a woman named Margarita? Seriously? He is Soton of the entire planet, and accordingly he also gives balls all over the world. How does he find these Marguerites somewhere in China? And in Zimbabwe? Or does he not condescend to visit such a low-grade country? Moreover, he’s a fucking soton, what the hell are the rules? In general, this, together with most of the ball, puzzled me, and the cat and his comrades frankly annoyed me, especially at the end, when they went to eat up on the road.
Only excerpts from the past were read with pleasure. It is not surprising - they were written by the Master. In places with a bust in the descriptions, but in general - interesting. Even for a little intrigue, there was a place that I immediately appreciated and approved. But this was not enough and it did not outweigh the impressions of the rest of the book, so the opinion was formed like this - negative.
