28-32 (Golden Horseshoe)

The first few pages of this reading did not surprise me for whatever reason. I found it totally normal of Koroviev and Behemoth to walk into the restaurant and set it on fire after the authorities came to arrest them. I didn’t come out of this haze until the last few pages. It all took on a Narnia-like feel. I almost felt as if Woland was Aslan, which is odd because Aslan is supposed to represent Christ, not the Devil. And Woland speaks of Ha-Nozri’s request for the Master and Margarita as if he is someone else entirely (387). So I don’t think Woland is Christ. But we have yet to make an acquaintance with God! I find it fascinating that Woland must, or at least wants to, obey Yeshua’s command. I want to know from where the power stems, but I am beginning to wonder if Bulgakov will ever reveal that to his readers.

Chapter 30 is titled “Time! Time!” I understand that Woland is having Azazello fetch the Master and Margarita and that he can control time, but why not just call the chapter “Time?” Bulgakov feels the need to write it twice and with exclamation points. These last chapters were pretty short. This could symbolize the approaching end of the novel or be some other reference to time.

I toyed with the idea that the Master is actually God. I am just dying for a god. I don’t exactly know where Margarita fits in; especially since she is the “satanic Christ,” perhaps she is Mary Magdalene? She can’t really be the Mary because then she would have to be the mother of her lover, which is whole other level of strange that I don’t want to believe Bulgakov would get into this late in the game.
-Golden Horseshoe