28-32 (Powdered Whiskers)

I think the satire in 28 is about the fact that you can get into anywhere and do pretty much anything in the Russian government as long as you know someone in a high position. The buccaneer sees the value of letting them in as opposed to angering them.

Also, there is a great deal of form changing going on in these last few chapters: In 28, it seems that perhaps Behemoth has adopted a human form, because he removes his hat for Sofya to show her his head, and the narrator describes him as having thick hair there, almost like that of a cat, which would be redundant language if he were still in cat form.

What an earth is with the sturgeon? I looked it up, and it's some type of giant fish? One very confused reader here.

And chapter 29 doesn't exactly ease that confusion! Enter Matthu Levi into the 20th century world of Woland. WHAT?! Yes, it seems these stories are entertwined more obviously than we thought! My first reaction to Matthu was "wow...he's rude to Woland, and not yet dead, someone must have his back!" Then they start talking about this "he" who seems to have some power over both of them. "He" (I'm gonna go with "God" finally?) asks Woland to reward the Master and Margarita with peace. This is a request, mind you, not an order. But it seems the type of request that it is mandatory to oblige.

Here light and shadow truly come into play (although Woland points out spectacularly that neither should exist without the other). It seems that the Master has not earned light, but he has earned peace. Should we take this to mean that there are different layers of heaven? Why not. I'm not sure if Dante also layered heaven, but let's move with the assumption that there is a layer of peace near the bottom, and a layer of light near the top.

Levi also PLEADS with Woland to take with him Margarita also. Why must he plead? I think he must plead because she has done evil things (smashing up buildings etc), which means it falls into Woland's hands to make a judgment, whereas, the Master doesn't seem to have done anything particularly bad, so it falls into God's jurisdiction. The line "we'd never think of it without you. Begone." is a key line, because it shows this concept of mercy that Woland claims not to have, or at least, claims not to like (as he chastises Margarita later for asking for mercy on Pilate).

Time time time time time...Azazello brings them a bottle of wine, which he says, was Pilate's. I think that maybe the significance of this is that Pilate betrays Yeshua for a greater cause (although not one that he is initially conscious of, and Azazello does the same here by poisoning the Master and Margarita.

There is an interesting line at the bottom of 376 where Margarita wipes the blood from the Master's temple. She also had a headache in her temple, and it seems to me that it is from the metaphorical crown of thorns that they both wear together (I’m rapidly reaching the idea that they are both Jesus). Which is why the Master says "farewell my disciple"

Although I hate to say it, it's kind of pissing me off that Bulgakov is giving us so much now at the end. It's like he panicked that we wouldn't understand...
-Powdered Whiskers