4-6

I was especially intrigued by the idea of the Griboyedev house. The house is described as an incredibly elite, exclusive (and therefore desirable) place to be. In the words of the narrator, others who were not permitted in the house “[were] attacked by the blackest envy” when they discovered another Russian inhabited the house (page 61). Yet despite being described as such a desirable place to be, it is mentioned numerous times that everybody in the house was “suffering extremely from lack of air” (page 63)...(read more)
-Cracked Wristwatch


The most striking aspect of this chapter, whose title stems from Homeless’ arrival, is the unreliability of the narrator, who begins to refer to him/herself in the 1st person. Referring to itself as “we”p creates confusion over the narrator and suggests that he/she may even be a character in the story, or at least one that populates its world. The reliability of this ambiguous speaker is called into question when, in speaking of “a vision in hell” it begins to digress and ramble at length about how the mystics, who proclaim this man used to be a pirate, are lying. It continues, stating that there are “no Caribbean Seas in this world”, that “there is nothing and there never was”. It terminates its monologue by scolding the reader for digressing. This creates a sense of petulance. ...(read more)
- Runaway Knight


In chapter 4 of The Master and Margarita, it is revealed explicitly that it was indeed Annushka who made the ground slippery with her “sunflower oil”, causing Berlioz to fall and die. This fulfills the prediction made by the devil, that “the meeting would not be held” because Annushka had spilled the sunflower oil.
This chapter also marks the first appearance of the “tom cat, huge as a hog, black as pitch or a crow, and with a huge mustache, for all the world like a rakish cavalryman’s”. This is not the only personification of the cat, as it later tried to board a streetcar and, in so doing “brazenly elbowed aside a woman . . , grasped the hand rails and even attempted to give the conductor a coin through the window.” ...(read more)
-Primus Stove

In chapters 4 through 6, Bulgakov distorts the readers sense of reality even further by having the doctor diagnose Homeless with schizophrenia at the end of chapter six. Although the reader can confirm the truth in Homeless' words, Homeless does say he and Berlioz were the only two people to meet the devil and witness the events he tries to enumerate. The lack of witnesses casts doubt on the narration. Who should the reader believe: the doctor or the narrator? ...(read more)
-Black Poodle


Chapter 4:
Firstly, we brought up the question of whether the Professor planned Berliov's death or whether he just predicted it. Ivan asks the very same question at the beginning of chapter 4, but we still get no answer, as Ivan just decides that he must find out. We also discussed the relevance of the sun and moon in the story (with the sun possibly representing truth or justice in Jerusalem). Here again, the moon is referred to as "always deceptive", which would be the antithesis of a sun that represents truth, which I think is good support for our hypothesis. We also get introduced to the tomcat, who seems at the moment to be a stealthy and sleazy type. A funny moment is when the cat is attempting to pay to board a bus, and Bulgakov points out the absurdity that people are amazed by the fact that the cat is trying to do THIS, rather than...(read more)
-Powdered Whiskers


These 3 chapters, well Ivan in particular reminded me vaguely of the Gogol stories because of the absurdities and the nonchalant reactions to these absurdities. For instance, after seeing the professor's prophecy about Berlioz's death, Ivan isn't instantly shocked by the carrying out of the prophecy. Instead, his first reaction is the he had just been speaking to the head that is now detached from Ivan's body. It takes a while before for he even reacts to the most shocking part of Berlioz's death. Then, when the huge tom cat is walking about, no one is really appalled, curious or doubting about a huge tom cat walking on its hind legs and trying to get a ride on the train. In fact, the only reason the tom cat is kicked off the train is because of the fare. Why are our versions of absurd and the characters versions of absurd different?...(read more)
-Apricot Soda

There are so many details in this novel that it would be impossible for me to address them all in one post and retain my sanity. For that reason here are merely a few that have been floating around in my head with which I have made a connection to one thing or another.

When Ivan Nikolayevich hears the name Annushka he connects it to first “sunflower oil” and then “Pontius Pilate” (51). What I find interesting about the latter is that Ivan did not think of the professor who told him of Annushka’s spilling of the sunflower oil, but of a character in a story barely related to what Ivan takes as real world occurrences...(read more)
-Golden Horseshoe

Chapter 4-6 had even more of the supernatural occurrences and was harder to follow than the previous chapters. We find out that Annushka had indeed spilt the oil and the stranger's prediction was right. Homeless, enraged, goes to confront the stranger, who is "holding under his arm not a cane, but a sword" under the moonlight. That description of him seems so significant, but I can't make anything out of it! Why would he be holding a sword? I would say it is safe to assume that the moon and the sun represent opposite things. Last class, I suggested the sun might be God, justice or some sort of goodness, so I speculate that the moon represents depravity, evilness, deception, because Bulgakov describes the moonlight ...(read more)
-Spanish Boot