13-17

It is pretty exciting to finally meet the mysterious Margarita and even learn a bit about him. Other than that, I noticed quite a few themes in these chapters. For one, I saw quite a few allusions to the Faustian concept of selling one’s soul. For starters, the Master even asks Homeless if has ever “even heard the opera Faust?” (page 152). Later on, the Master seems to imply that the process of writing his book (which would require an enormous amount of knowledge, perhaps only attainable from the devil) coupled with the failure of the book, required him to sell his soul...(read more)
-Cracked Wristwatch

In this section of The Master and Margarita we are finally introduced to the titular master, who tells the semiautobiographical tale of how he ended up in the mental asylum. It struck me that the only person Homeless could get to believe his story was someone insane – the Master. And it does indeed appear that the master is not sane; he claims to “dislike [Homeless’s] poems dreadfully” without ever having read them, something he “crie[s] nervously”. He also has the habit of visiting other mental patients by coming in through the window, not a habit one would think advisable. However, despite this, “Ivan felt that he could trust the stranger”. In their conversation, the Master conveys to Homeless his certainty in the belief of Satan, making an allusion to Faust in the process. Homeless has some trouble accepting this even if, subconsciously, he knew this to be true. I also grasped the symbolism of the colour yellow after it was referred to as “evil”. Following this admonition I noticed the frequent references to yellow in describing the flowers the margarita was carrying and the ‘M’ she stitched on the Master’s cap among others (like the sign and wall on the street).
-Primus Stove


In class discussion, we talked about how the lord or the devil related to each other, what their means are and what their ends are. In Chapter 16, Bulgakov seems to address this question with the idea that we played around with yesterday: both the Lord and the devil are working together. For example, Nikanor Ivanovich exclaims, " 'The Lord is punishing me or my foul sins " (180). Interestingly, Nikanor encountered the devil but automatically associates him with the lord. Then again, as Nikanor reflects the punishment he suffered from the devil, he begins to pray. In other words, the devil induced him to pray to the Lord. In both instances, the ends between the Lord and the devil have mixed. ...(read more)
-Black Poodle


COULD THIS GET ANY BETTER? I definitely had a laugh-out-loud moment at how well this is written.
So! Where to start? Let's start with the hero. Who is this man who calls himself "the master"? I'm thinking Jesus. Which would follow given that he's locked up shunned for being a madman (things don't change). Also he uses the expression "In heaven's name!" This really seals the deal for me. This is the first character that uses this phrase rather than "the devil knows," or "in hell's name". He also brings up Faust...(read more)
-Powdered Whiskers


As interesting as this plot is, it was nice to have a break from the chaos and the evil with the Master's story. He was very realistic, or descriptive and story-telling. I liked his romantic, shy nature. Though right now he doesn't seem very heroic, I can see the potential.
I hate to have this preconceived notion in my head, but what Karen said about the red-haired naked woman being a vampire is really poking at me in this reading. But I can speak in the conditional tense: if she were a vampire, then when she "kissed" Varenukha, perhaps she bit him, and made him become a vampire as well (as goes traditional vampire lineage?). This might also make the red-headed woman in the magic exposé with the scar on her neck the same vampire woman, who became a vampire because she too was bitten on the neck (hence the scar). Then, if Varenukha were a vampire, it would explain the huge change which has come over him. He's really pale and somber looking, with dark eyes and a "disturbing glare" (174). He constantly was trying to shade himself, hide his face, the bruise on his cheek and something (possibly a bite) on his neck. Also, he doesn't have a shadow! More traditionally I think of vampires as not having reflections in mirrors, but this could be the same for shadows. Oh, lastly, both the red-headed woman and Varenukha flee at the sound of the cockcrow, the herald of the sun rise. Moreso, when they flee, they simply float through the window...how not human-like.
By the way, I love the line, "[Varenukha] easily could have competed in sensitivity with the best seismographs in the world" (172).
-Apricot Soda

From the reader’s first introduction to the Master in Chapter 13, I couldn’t help but notice how normal he seems. Aside from whispering “‘Tsss!’” upon his entrance by balcony, he is a relatively sane man. He is of “about thirty-eight, clean-shaven, dark-haired, with a pointed nose, anxious eyes and a lock of hair hanging over his forehead” (148). If the strangest component of his appearance is this displaced lock of hair, compared to other characters; such as Woland with his dual appearances, Behemoth the cat, Koroviev and his patchiness, Azazello with his one fang, and the naked red-head; the Master looks just like an average man. I have categorized the Master with the Devil’s retinue and not the Russian citizens with which they interact. This is because when the reader first meets him, the Master offers his life story, like Woland. Although Woland did not do this—wouldn’t it be shocking if he had?—he did tell a tale. Perhaps storytelling provides some sort of authority; if you tell people a convincing story they are likely to believe...(read more)
-Golden Horseshoe

So where is the hero? I was excited to see a hero that would stop all the evil deeds of the devil trio, but the Master, at least in this chapter, showed no characteristics of a hero. Except for the fact that he had access to other rooms, he is in no better situation than Ivan. He doesn't even have any desire to escape the prison "because [he has] nowhere to escape" and says, "I find it not at all unpleasant. There is no need for ambitious plans, my dear neighbor, there really isn't!" That is exactly what Ivan thought after receiving the injection from Dr. Stravinsky. The Master seems to embrace a lot of Bulgakov's character. For one thing, he is dejected after his masterpiece script is rejected by the publisher, just like all his works were rejected...(read more)
-Spanish Boot