Religion is an ever-present motif in the book Master and Margarita. A lot of the characters neither believe in heaven nor heck, and they also refute the existence of God or the Satan (Satan). Over the novel, religion is used for characters to create sense of their realities. When ever Woland, the Devil himself, confronts some of the characters chaos ensues, and fact becomes not clear.
In the beginning with the novel, two men by names Mikhail Berlioz and Ivan Nikolayevich (whose dog pen name was Bezdomny) have a conversation about Christ.
Berlioz attempts to provide evidence that a man just like “Jesus, while an individual, experienced never existed on the planet at all and that all the stories about him had been mere agencement, myths of the standard kind. [Bulgakov, 5]
Because the men continue their chat, Woland, who appears as a mere foreigner joins the conversation. This individual tells the boys that this individual met Pontius Pilate, plus the two imagine Woland to become crazy. , and without knowing about Woland’s true personality, Berlioz forbids the existence of Our god or Satan, and points out that a significant portion of his population is actually atheist.
Woland predicts Berlioz’s loss of life at the end from the conversation, and he carries on on, wreaking havoc amidst many other people.
This theme of religion and religious images continues over the story, like the glimpse we have into the brain of Pontius Pilate prior to Jesus (Yeshua Ga-Nostri) can be sentenced to death. Bulgakov portrays a side not often seen of Pilate in religious and historical accounts. Later on, Woland is creating chaos in other character’s lives. He takes in out householder’s flaws and evil traits that previously existed within them, and he makes a mockery of those flaws. Woland himself is proving that he exists.
As the story progresses, we meet the Grasp, a writer who mental state is unstable. This individual wrote about Pontius Pilate, and his producing was greatly criticized. He burns his manuscripts hoping to never find them once again, however Woland can make them re-appear quickly.
Woland helps the Expert come to his senses by ask for of Masters lover, Perla. Although many might see Woland (Satan) basically as a great evil animal, it is exposed in the novel that his character is very much more. Woland appears to be one of the most rational figure, and he’s more complex than the others. This is a completely different way of seeing the normal religious tale, and the common roles that God and Satan play.
In the end, it can be as if absolutely nothing has at any time happened and memory is unsucssesful the heroes. The existence of The almighty and Satan, Jesus and Pontius Pilate, are all still in question. In fact the events that occurred throughout the novel, no-one knows precisely what is true and what is not really. Religion with this novel serves to figure out the facts. The religious stories are being used by character types to either refute, or perhaps support the existence of certain religious figures.
Bulgakov’s use of these religious accounts, stories, and figures body the new and without that, the story could not function. It is the same as in Hillis Miller’s article, Narrative. The reasons that the novel needs religion are for the same reasons we, since readers need literature. It will help to give all of us guidelines, alerts, and explanations for the earth around all of us.
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