Hey everyone!
My sister gifted me this book for my birthday. I was a slow reader this year, nonetheless I’ve finally finished this wonderful book. I wanted to share my interpretation as well as see what other perspectives exist on this fantastic and multilayered story.
I learned that a simple ending doesn’t always do a book justice. What I mean by this is that, well, there was no ‘A-ha’ moment at the end of this story. I much enjoyed that, as I felt like too simplistic an ending would’ve been dishonest to the scope of themes in the book.
The three meta-themes I understood from the book were cowardice (aversion to doing what is morally right); deception (gaslighting); and lies (to save one’s own skin, or conscience). These are interwoven with multiple narratives, namely, the realist communist Moscow backdrop; the mythical story Jesus (Al-Nozri) & Pilate; the romantic connection between Margarita & the master.
Pilate is conflicted after having spoken with Al-Nozri, because up until then he felt he was wrestling with the questions of life on his own. Azazello, Behemoth & Koroviev all exist in their own moral space, disregarding those of the human world and orienting themselves entirely on Woland’s orders and code. Ivan (Homeless) is a neutral observer who becomes deeply disturbed by the interplay of all the forces shaping the world around him (both in moral & physical nature), and is punished for stumbling through the truth, as he is labelled as mentally unwell.
While these separate narratives do converge near the end, not having the threads interconnect with a simple paragraph of the moral of the story enabled me to chew on the story for a lot longer than I would have otherwise. What were your takeaways from this great book?
by Phiggle