Epilogue (Black Poodle)

So I had no idea what to think after finishing the epilogue. I suppose the real end would be the last chapter, and the epilogue is more a way to tie loose ends. From reading other people's posts, I can agree that Bulgakov definitely makes a final stab at the Communist government for rampant arrests. The fact that the people (not secret police) are actively trying to arrest their neighbors is also another reference to the distrustful nature/environment of the communist regime.

But I also think there's something else about the epilogue and the completion of the Pontius Pilate story that connects the modern day characters to the Bible characters. As I said in my post before, there was a lot of evidence for the Master being Jesus and Ivan (as Homeless) being Matthu Levi. We also discussed in class the potential of Margarita being Mary Magdalene (the devil addresses her as Donna a few times.) At the end, Ivan (as the professor) seems to be a parallel to Pontius Pilate. Just like Pontius, he turns restless at the full moon and dreams of being reunited with the Master as Pontius Pilate dreams of being reunited with Yeshua. And just as Pontius tries to deny Yeshua's execution, Ivan also tries to deny the events that happened in Moscow, accrediting them to hypnosis as does everyone else. The duality of Ivan representing both Matthu Levi and Pontius also connects those two characters together. In a way, Pontius is also a disciple of Yeshua, and they both "failed" Yeshua in different ways. Perhaps not as great as Judas's betrayal, but Pontius is remembered for making the decision to crucify him, and Levi curses at himself for leaving Yeshua alone. I suppose the last evidence of connection between the stories is the last line of the novel, which is also the last line of the Master's novel. The significance of all this? That I'm not sure...
-Black Poodle