-So who are you, finally?
I am part of that force
that always wants evil
and always does good.
Goethe
Good and evil... Concepts are eternal and inseparable. And as long as the spirit and consciousness of a person are alive, these forces will fight with each other, good will “reveal” to a person, illuminating his path to the truth.
M. A. Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita” is dedicated to the struggle between good and evil. The author depicted this struggle with great skill; he was able to look into the human soul and convey the inner world of his heroes. Bulgakov revealed to readers a rich range of feelings and experiences of his characters, so this novel has firmly entered the ranks of the most beloved works of Russian literature. Bulgakov's work is a textbook for every new generation of youth, because the problems raised in it arise with amazing consistency at all times.
Two layers of time are simultaneously revealed to the reader. One is connected with the life of Moscow in the twenties of our century, the other is with the legend or truth (depending on the faith and beliefs of the person) about a certain Yeshua Ha-Noz-ri, in whom we immediately recognize Jesus Christ. Bulgakov gives us a “novel within a novel,” and both of them are united by one idea - the search for moral truth and the struggle for it. First, we are transported many centuries ago to distant Ersha-laim, to the palace of the Emperor of Judea Pontius Pilate. Along with him in the palace is a young man, about twenty-seven years old, whose hands are tied, there is a bruise under his eye, and there is an abrasion with dried blood in the corner of his mouth. This man's name is Yeshua, he is accused of inciting the destruction of the Yershalaim temple.
Pontius Pilate lives by his own laws: he knows that the world is divided into those who rule and those who obey them. And suddenly a person appears who breaks this rule and is ready to argue with the procurator himself. He is not afraid to object to him, defending his point of view, and does it so skillfully, so calmly that he even confuses the procurator. Yeshua believes that there are no evil people in the world, only unhappy people. He thinks that these people can be changed for the better, you just need to make them believe in themselves, interest them, instill confidence in them, and then you will get a full-fledged person who has a goal in life, capable of bringing benefit to others through his actions.
The prisoner seemed interesting to the procurator; he liked a lot about him. Pontius Pilate was immediately convinced of his innocence and simplicity. He even had a dream that the two of them were walking along a lunar path and talking peacefully. But he could no longer help Yeshua. Yeshua challenged not only the procurator himself, but also the entire regime that reigned in this city for several generations, so he is doomed to death. Because of the fear of denunciation, the fear of ruining his own career, Pontius Pilate goes against his convictions, the voice of humanity and conscience. And therefore Pontius Pilate shouts so that everyone can hear: “Criminal! Criminal!" Yeshua is executed. In fact, the power of the procurator turned out to be imaginary. Pontius Pilate is a coward: a faithful dog of order, he cannot go against the majority, and therefore he is pathetic and unworthy of respect. Yeshua, on the contrary, challenges the existing order, the idea is most important to him, and we, frozen by the horror that his fate causes, at the same time experience admiration.
But how are the “Yershalaim” chapters related to the main content of the novel? We are transported to the 20s of our century. Envy, anger, and distrust of dissident people also reign in the world that surrounds the main characters. Good is represented in the faces of the Master and Margarita - two lovers fighting for their love and justice. They are opposed by Woland, the image of Satan rethought by the author. Woland creates evil, his goal is to expose, strengthen, and expose human shortcomings and vices to everyone. What he doesn’t do to achieve his goal! All his tricks and tricks are aimed at one thing: to prove that people are inherently unfair, greedy and envious, and sometimes simply evil. Woland leads the reader to the conclusion that all people are petty and corrupt, that everyone loves money.
Although many centuries have passed, kindness and love remain on earth. The Master, the main character of M. Bulgakov's novel, creates his own novel about Christ and Pilate. In the image of Christ, the Master shows everything that is good and bright. There is a clear parallel between the Master and Yeshua. The Master, like Yeshua, tried to convey to people the whole truth that surrounds him. He wants to penetrate into the depths of centuries in order to understand the eternal. The master is occupied with eternal problems, and he stops at nothing to achieve the truth, which is why his name is written with a capital letter. The master is undoubtedly kind, honest, and decent, which is why he achieves respect in society and is worthy of Margarita’s love.
Margarita in the novel is the bearer of enormous and inspired love, which the author called “eternal.” Margarita has a strong character, enormous will, and is not embarrassed by any difficulties. Margarita fights for the Master. She even goes to meet Satan himself in order to return the Master, while she is not afraid to sacrifice herself and passes into eternity.
As a result, the Master and Margarita are rewarded. These are people who bring goodness and love to others, so they will be remembered and respected. After leaving us, the Master left us his novel as a reminder that we must solve our moral problems ourselves.
The novel by M.A. Bulgakov teaches the future generation that one must always fight for the truth and move forward to the victorious end, as the Master and Yeshua did. The novel remains in the history of Russian and world literature not only as a hymn to man, not only as the story of Margarita’s unearthly love, but also as a grandiose monument to Moscow and man who will forever stand in defense of goodness and justice.
Bulgakov's novel is tragic, it is full of bitterness and skepticism, hope is intertwined in it with despair, and faith with disbelief in its triumph. The era determined the tragedy of the novel, and Bulgakov did not lie: he ultimately wrote a novel about his time, but he wrote in such a way that “The Master and Margarita” and the novel are about the eternal struggle between good and evil.
The novel by M. A. Bulgakov is a unique masterpiece of Russian and world literature that will never lose relevance.
M.A. Bulgakov - novel “The Master and Margarita”. In Bulgakov's novel, the concepts of good and evil are intricately intertwined. Woland, Satan, is traditionally supposed to be the absolute embodiment of evil, but he often restores justice on earth by exposing human vices. The greatest evil, according to Bulgakov, is concentrated in the world of human society. And this has always been the case. The Master wrote about this in his novel, revealing the history of the deal between the procurator of Judea and his own conscience. Pontius Pilate sends an innocent man, the wandering philosopher Yeshua, to execution, since society expects such a decision from him. The outcome of this situation is endless pangs of conscience that overcome the hero. The situation in Bulgakov’s contemporary Moscow is even more deplorable: all moral norms have been violated there. And Woland seems to be trying to restore their inviolability. During his four days in Moscow, Satan determines the “true face” of many cultural figures, artists, officials, and local citizens. He accurately defines the inner essence of everyone: Styopa Likhodeev, a famous cultural figure, is a slacker, a reveler and a drunkard; Nikanor Ivanovich Bosoy – bribe-taker and fraudster; proletarian poet Alexander Ryukhin is a liar and a hypocrite. And at a session of black magic in a Moscow variety show, Woland literally and figuratively exposes the citizens who have coveted what they can get for nothing. It is noteworthy that all of Woland’s tricks are almost unnoticeable against the background of everyday life in Moscow. Thus, the author seems to hint to us that the real life of a totalitarian state, with its legalized party hierarchy, violence, is the main diabolical action. There is no place for creativity and love in this world. Therefore, the Master and Margarita have no place in this society. And here Bulgakov’s thought is pessimistic - for a real artist, happiness on earth is impossible. In a world where everything is determined by a person’s social status, good and truth still exist, but they have to seek protection from the devil himself. Thus, according to Bulgakov, the confrontation between good and evil is eternal, but these concepts are relative.
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Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov is a great master, bringing light with his talent, without hiding the darkness...
Indeed, he did not hide the darkness. This time in which the author lived and worked tried to hide its lawlessness and tragedy from his contemporaries. Time tried to hide Bulgakov himself as an author. In the thirties he was one of the “forbidden”. After the publication of the beginning of “The White Guard,” he did not manage to publish a single significant work until the end of his life. And only many years later, after the death of the author, his creations became available to the reader in full. For a long time, Bulgakov’s last work, “The Master and Margarita,” remained “in the shadows.” This is a complex, multifaceted work. Its genre was defined by the author himself as a “fantasy novel.” Through combinations of the real and the fantastic, Bulgakov in his work raises many problems, shows the moral flaws and shortcomings of society. I see laughter and sadness, love and moral duty while reading the pages of the novel. One of the main themes, it seems to me, is the eternal theme of good and evil.
As long as man exists on earth, good and evil will exist. Thanks to evil, we understand what good is. And good, in turn, reveals evil, illuminating a person’s path to the truth. There will always be a struggle between good and evil.
Bulgakov depicted this struggle in his work in a very original and masterful way. The devil's retinue sweeps through Moscow like a whirlwind. According to the Moscow in which lies, distrust of people, envy and hypocrisy exist. These vices, this evil, are revealed to readers by Woland, an artistically reimagined image of Satan. His fantastic evil in the novel shows real evil, mercilessly exposes the hypocrisy of people like Styopa Likhodeev, a significant personality in the cultural and high circles of Moscow - a drunkard, a libertine, a degenerate slacker. Nikanor Ivanovich Bosoy is a scoundrel and a rogue, the variety show bartender is a thief, the poet A. Ryukhin is an inveterate hypocrite. Thus, Woland calls everyone by their proper names, indicating who is who. At a session of black magic in a Moscow variety show, he undresses, literally and figuratively, citizens who covet free goods, and sadly concludes: “They love money, but that’s always been the case... Well, they’re frivolous... well, what... . and mercy sometimes knocks on their hearts... ordinary people... In general, they resemble the former...”
What were they like, these old ones? The author takes us to distant Yershalaim, to the palace of the fifth procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate. “In Yershalaim, everyone whispers about me that I am a ferocious monster, and this is absolutely true.” The procurator lives by his own laws, according to them the world is divided into those who rule and those who obey, a slave obeys his master - this is an unshakable postulate. And suddenly someone who thinks differently appears. A man of about twenty-seven whose hands are tied and who is physically absolutely helpless. But he is not afraid of the procurator, he even dares to object to him: “... the temple of the old faith will collapse and a new temple of truth will be created.” This is a man - Yeshua is convinced that there are no evil people in the world, there are only “unhappy” people. Yeshua interested the procurator. Pontius Pilate wanted and even tried to save Yeshua from a bitter fate, but he could not give up his truth: “Among other things, I said that all power is violence over people and that the time will come when there will be no power either of Caesars or of any kind.” or other authority. Man will move into the kingdom of truth and justice, where no power will be needed at all.” But the procurator cannot come to terms with this; this is a clear contradiction of his ideology. Yeshua is executed. A man who brought the righteous light of truth to people was executed; goodness was his essence. This man was spiritually independent, he defended the truth of goodness, instilled faith and love. Pontius Pilate understands that his greatness turned out to be imaginary, that he is a coward, and his conscience torments him. She is punished, his soul cannot find peace, but Yeshua - the embodiment of the moral force of good in the novel - forgives him. He passed away, but the grains of goodness he left behind live. And for how many centuries people have believed in Jesus Christ, of whom Yeshua is a prototype. And the eternal desire for good is irresistible. The master writes a novel about Christ and Pilate. In his understanding, Christ is a thinking and suffering person, bringing eternal values into the world, an inexhaustible source of good. The truth was revealed to the Master, he believed and still fulfilled the mission for which he lived. He came into this life to write a novel about Christ. The Master, like Yeshua, pays dearly for the right to proclaim his truth. Prophets find their place in a madhouse. And the world, alas, turns out to be such that the devil acts as a judge. It is he who pays everyone what they deserve. The master leaves people, finding peace and happiness. But his immortal work remains on earth. The struggle between good and evil continues. From generation to generation, people are and will continue to seek a moral ideal, resolve ethical contradictions, seek the truth, and fight evil.
I think Bulgakov himself is such a fighter. His novel is destined to have a long life; I believe that it will not be lost in time, but will serve as a source of moral ideas for many, many generations to come.
The problem of good and evil is an eternal problem that has and will continue to worry humanity. What is good and what is evil on earth? This question runs as a leitmotif throughout M. A. Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita.” As you know, two opposing forces cannot help but come into conflict with each other, therefore the struggle between good and evil is eternal.
The conflict between these forces was most acutely reflected in the novel “The Master and Margarita.” So, before us is Moscow of the late twenties and early thirties. On a hot and stuffy evening, a gentleman who looks like a foreigner appears on the Patriarch’s Ponds: “...he didn’t limp on any leg, and he was neither short nor huge, but simply tall. As for his teeth, he had platinum crowns on the left side and gold ones on the right. He was wearing an expensive gray suit, with foreign-made shoes that matched the color of the suit... He looked to be over forty years old. The mouth is kind of crooked. Shaven clean. Brunette. The right eye is black, the left one is green for some reason. The eyebrows are black, but one is higher than the other...” This is Woland - the future culprit of all the unrest in Moscow.
There is no doubt that Woland is a representative of the “dark” force. (Woland is translated from Hebrew as “devil.”) It is important to pay attention to the epilogue to the novel. These are the words of Mephistopheles from Goethe’s “Faust”: “I am part of this force that always wants evil and always does good.” Mephistopheles in Faust is Satan, who punishes sinners and creates riots. No, Woland is not like Mephistopheles. His resemblance to him is limited only by external signs! Pointed chin, sloping face, crooked mouth. In Woland’s actions there is no desire to punish Muscovites mired in sins. He came to Moscow with one purpose - to find out whether Moscow had changed since the day when he was last in it. After all, Moscow claimed to be the Third Rome. She proclaimed new principles of reconstruction, new values, new life. But what does Woland see when he organizes a black magic session for Muscovites at the variety theater? Greed, envy, desire to make “easy” money. And Woland draws the following conclusion: “Well... They are people like people. They love money, but this has always been the case... Humanity loves money, no matter what it is made of, whether leather, paper, bronze or gold. Well, they are frivolous... well... and mercy sometimes knocks on their hearts... ordinary people... in general, they resemble the old ones... the housing problem has only spoiled them...”
Woland's arrival in Moscow is accompanied by unrest: Berlioz dies under the wheels of a tram, Ivan Bezdomny goes crazy, and the Griboyedov House burns down. But is this the work of Woland himself? No. Woland's retinue is partly to blame for the troubles of Muscovites! Koroviev and the cat Behemoth. But most of all, Muscovites themselves are to blame for their misfortunes. After all, it was they who created a world around themselves that looked like hell, populated by anger, drunkenness, lies, and debauchery. Let’s at least take a look at the restaurant “Griboyedov’s House”, where MASSOLIT members spend their free time. Here, “swimming with sweat, the waiters carried sweaty mugs of beer over their heads,” “some very elderly man with a beard with a green onion feather stuck in it danced,” “the crash of gold plates in jazz sometimes covered the crash of dishes that the dishwashers were moving down an inclined plane.” they went down to the kitchen.” The whole atmosphere in the restaurant resembles the underworld described in the Bible, in one word “hell”.
When we get to Satan's ball, we can be convinced that humanity has always lived by the same laws and has always committed evil. In front of us and Margarita passes Mrs. Minkhina, who burned her maid’s face with a curling iron, a young man who sold the girl who loved him to a brothel. But at the same time we understand that all these people are dead. This means that only the dead fall into Woland’s “department”, into the “department” of “darkness”. Only when a person is dead does his soul, burdened with sins, fall under the power of Woland. Then comes the reckoning for all the evil that a person has committed during his lifetime.
Woland’s “department” includes Berlioz, the Master and Margarita, and Pontius Pilate, the cruel procurator of Judea.
How many people have fallen under the power of Satan! Who can join the fight against evil, which of the novel’s heroes is worthy of “light”? This question is answered by a novel written by the Master. In the city of Yershalaim, mired, like Moscow, in debauchery, two people appear: Yeshua Ha-Notsri and Levi Matvey. The first of them believes that there are no evil people and that the worst sin is cowardice. This is the person who is worthy of “light”. For the first time he appears before Pontius Pilate “in an old and torn tunic. His head was covered with a white bandage with a strap around his forehead, and his hands were tied behind his back. The man had a large bruise under his left eye and an abrasion with dried blood in the corner of his mouth.” Can we say that Yeshua Ha-Nozri is Jesus Christ? The fates of these people are similar; they both died on the cross. But it is worth noting that Yeshua was twenty-seven years old, and Jesus was thirty-three years old when they were crucified. And Yeshua is the most ordinary person, an orphan, and Jesus Christ is the “son of God.” But it's not that. The main thing is that Yeshua carries goodness in his heart, he never did anything bad in his life, he came to Yershalaim to teach people goodness, to heal their bodies and souls. He is the savior of humanity. But, unfortunately, humanity does not need saving. On the contrary, it seeks to get rid of Yeshua as a criminal and a thief. And this is also a struggle between good and evil.
The clash of opposing forces is most clearly presented at the end of the novel, when Woland and his retinue leave Moscow. What do we see? “Light” and “darkness” are on the same level. Woland does not rule the world, but Yeshua does not rule the world either. All Yeshua can do is ask Woland to give the Master and his beloved eternal peace. And Woland fulfills this request. Thus, we come to the conclusion that the forces of good and evil are equal. They exist in the world side by side, constantly confronting and arguing with each other. And their struggle is eternal, because there is no person on Earth who has never committed a sin in his life; and there is no such person who would completely lose the ability to do good. The world is a kind of scale, on the scales of which lie two weights: good and evil. And, it seems to me, as long as balance is maintained, the world and humanity can exist.
Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita” helps to look at the world around us in a new way. I believe that this novel helps to find and recognize what is good and what is evil.
Sometimes life can be extremely difficult and incomprehensible. Unfortunately, there are no instructions for doing the right thing, so questions such as “to forgive or not to forgive?” or “revenge - forget?” become rhetorical. This became the basis for many literary works, in particular, the novel “The Master and Margarita” is imbued with the philosophy of life and “stuffed” with questions about human virtue.
- (Can cruelty be justified?).“The Master and Margarita” is a novel that covered all sorts of philosophical topics and touched upon the problems of human life. The work begins with a story about two friends - Berlioz and Ivan Bezdomny, arguing about people's faith, or more precisely, about the existence of God. During their conversation, a mysterious stranger appears, trying to judge the gentlemen on such a delicate issue. However, the comrades showed stubbornness and refused to believe in the existence of higher powers. Quite a short time later, Berlioz was hit by a tram. The moral concluded through the mouth of Woland: “Everyone will be rewarded according to his faith.” Can this be considered cruelty on the part of Satan, and, if so, is it justified? For his part, he deservedly punished the non-believers and taught them a lesson. With this lesson, Woland's revenge began on people - so sinful and godless. One can only blame him for the radicalism of the measures taken, but one cannot but agree that the punishments were deserved.
- (False kindness turned into cruelty) Can kindness turn into cruelty? Yes, if we look at Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita”. Woland is the embodiment of Satan, throughout the book he gives people life lessons. It is worth remembering an episode from the Variety Theater. Woland decided to study the changed nature of Muscovites, and his retinue exposed human vices with their fantastic tricks. During this performance, citizens were literally generously showered with money, women were gifted with the latest models of dresses and the most fashionable accessories. Satan did not skimp on such gifts, which fully emphasized the commercialism and stinginess of people. The greed with which they tried to grab the “tidbit” turned them into animals who were ready to squabble over the desired thing. The greedy Muscovites paid in full for their behavior: the sinful exploits of the spectators were revealed, the money turned into dust, and the women ended up completely naked on the streets of the city. Woland taught a lesson to a generation spoiled by the housing issue. From this it is necessary to take away that kindness embodied in an act often has completely different motives. Often it is she who is the instrument of sophisticated cruelty for which Satan is so famous.
- (Kindness is impossible without self-sacrifice) What is kindness? I think this quality includes an element of readiness for self-sacrifice. For example, the main character of the novel “The Master and Margarita,” distinguished by her kindheartedness, found herself in a rather difficult life situation, with her own problems and unanswered questions. She clearly needed the help of higher powers to understand the current situation. Fortunately for her, if I may say so, she turns out to be of interest to Satan, Woland, who has come to the city. She is honored to be invited to his Grand Ball, and even as a queen. By agreement with the devil, at the end of the ball the girl had the right to a request, which Woland undoubtedly had to fulfill. Finding herself at the celebration of evil spirits, Margarita fills her loneliness and fear with new acquaintances. So, on her way she meets the vicious Frida, who touches the heroine with her sad story. The victim suffers the vengeful ordeal of her sinful act of strangling her unwanted newborn child. Margarita is so imbued with the fate of her new acquaintance that at the end of the ball she uses her request to save Frida from torment. By asking not for herself, but for another person, Margarita discouraged the participants of the ball, and many readers. Instead of her happiness, she chose to help a person in need; such kindness on her part deserves a special bow. Thus, readiness for self-sacrifice is the main element of kindness, without which the manifestation of this quality is impossible.
The eternal confrontation between good and evil is covered in almost every book of Russian literature. The novel “The Master and Margarita” was no exception. Good in this work illuminates the path of truth, and evil, on the contrary, is capable of leading a person into invisible distances.
Bulgakov was sure that it was religion, the faith of God, that helps a lost person find his true path. His characters help to understand Bulgakov's position.
As part of the “novel within a novel” that the Master wrote, his hero Yeshua appears before a ruthless judge. This episode is not really about the theme of good and evil, but rather the theme of betrayal of good itself. But why? The prosecutor was well aware that the accused who stood before him had not committed criminal acts, but nevertheless ordered his execution. He is a slave of the state system, and Bulgakov depicted the same slaves in Moscow (for example, Bosoy).
Yeshua is the embodiment of kindness and compassion, he was insightful, generous, selfless. Even the fear of death did not force him to renounce his views. He believed that a person’s good nature still prevails.
His opposition - Woland - believed on the contrary that it is evil and self-interest that predominates in man. He found in people their vices, sinful weaknesses, ridiculing them in various ways. He, along with his retinue, got rid of those who deviated from goodness, who were corrupt, ridiculing such people.
But why does Satan only cause a smile and positive emotions? The answer to the question is the epigraph to the novel, where it is said that evil eternally accomplishes good. In this novel, Woland is the arbiter of destinies; he stands for the balance between evil and good, trying to restore it. However, his actions still cannot be called good, because only with the help of evil does he show people his own vices.
The feeling between the Master and Margarita is also good in the novel. Their love shows what a person is ready to do, how he and the world around him change with the help of such power. There was evil spirits in Moscow, a coven appeared, and dark magic was happening. And everything seemed to go wrong, because it was the evil spirit that helped love. However, love itself is a divine gift, which proves that love is a manifestation of goodness and self-giving.
The novel is full of not only mysteries, but also values. Bulgakov colorfully described evil spirits, putting them in the foreground, but pure and bright love, all-consuming and all-forgiving, still prevails here. Good is presented in the novel as a creative force that nothing can distort or destroy.
Another main idea of the author is the scene with Satan’s ball. That is, a person must go through all the horrors, the circles of hell, in order to realize one simple truth: love is the only path that will make him not only happy, but also the ruler of his own life. He will not become a slave, which the procurator was, he will be free in his own way.
