I read the novel of black comedy by Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, “Мастер и Маргарита”. It is for people who like fantastic story and a profound philosophy for theology and demonology. Although the story is heavily based on the culture of Soviet Union before the World War II, how to accept human virtues through theology and demonology is a common theme timelessly. Socio-politically the expressions are radical and it was not published before the writer’s death, and even after that it was censored and many paragraphs were removed in their first version. Today we know the everything. Literary-historically it succeeds a spirit of von Goethe’s “Faust”, especially the lines “Ein Teil von jener Kraft, Die stets das Böse will und stets das Gute schafft.” However, “Мастер и Маргарита” further pursues the spirit of “Faust”, which is summarized by the lines “Wer immer strebend sich bemüht, den können wir erlösen”, by an insertion of the novel that describes the particulars of Pontius Pilatus. The main characters, Мастер and Маргарита, who appeared after complex plots of fuss the Satan Воланд and his companions provoked, are set to worth relieves, not enlightenment. These limits of their dedications are explained in the Satan’s dances and the cowardice of both Pilatus and Мастер, who supposed to know the truth. Human value is challenged by Воланд and his companions, and one may notice what that is during the dances by the silent showing of the main theme, why Воланд, who relieves Мастер and Маргарита, is the Satan at all. The organization of the story is complicated and all the witchcrafts complicated the plots. One cannot trust any of the expression of the story by the crafts, and they are not sincere at all. The histories underlay the companions of Воланд are not well explained, and this linked to the demonology.
From the viewpoint of structuralism, confusing stories proceeds in parallel and all the echoes, imbalances, reflections and asymmetries characterizes the fuss of the devils. From the viewpoint of post-structuralism, this story is a deconstruction of an ordinary theology. Emotions are sublimated by the end of the story of Pilatus. There is a certain fluidity of knowledge based on the society of Soviet Union in the early 20th century. Disappearance of the real is an alarm bell of postmodernism. Progression of the society is inhibited by ordinary people but partially achieved by the main characters and devils. Sin and faults of Мастер and Маргарита cast a new light to the theology.
Overall, this story is definitely the best Russian literature in 20th century, as “Братья Карамазовы” in 19th century.
