“The Master and Margarita” still causes arguments. It can be interpreted in many different ways. Two plot lines find their admirers, intertwining into one whole. Some readers are closer to the events in May’s Moscow, others— to distant Jerusalem. Yet for all their difference, the two storylines are connected and complement each other.
Woland, the Master, Margarita, Yeshua… all the characters seem like old acquaintances, even if you’re reading the novel for the first time. The image of Jesus Christ, Satan, a searching creative person, and a beautiful, devoted woman—these are all motifs that have been encountered many times in literary works and played out in the most varied ways. No wonder there is an opinion that Bulgakov’s novel was written about the Russian Faust.
The author’s spiritual views are reflected in the novel. For example, he argues that the root of evil is cowardice. It was because of Pilate’s cowardice that Jesus Christ was crucified. Because of the Master’s cowardice, the novel might never have seen the light of day. Cowardice is not worthy of heaven.
There is also a love line in this work, one that isn’t limited to kisses and walking under the moon. Love, in Bulgakov’s view, is a kinship of souls.
The universality of the novel made it popular. It will be interesting to readers with very different viewpoints and beliefs.