Erin Byers

Topic:  What "good" did the devil do in Moscow?  What was his goal?

	When the devil comes to Moscow, he brings about many changes.  His 
overall goal is to prove to the people of Moscow that divinity and evil 
exist, and that things are meant to work out in the end.  He proves that 
natural forces cannot be eliminated by man's logic, but also that these 
forces are not harmful to society.  And finally, he proves that even evil 
has a purpose, and must exist to balance good.  He comes to shake Moscow 
up, because even the nonbelievers are weak-minded and confused.  Perhaps 
he ultimately moves in on Moscow because the city had driven God out, 
leaving the devil as the only logical successor.

	The devil also comes to search for the Master and Margarita-one to 
tell an important story that will expose the issue of religion in Moscow, 
and the other to be his escort and link to the Master.  These two 
characters become so intertwined in his actions and motives that he will 
eventually return their favors.  He helps this couple that could not be 
happy in this life to get eternal peace.

	The force of evil, and likewise, chaos, brings a ripple of change 
to the lukewarm atheism in Moscow.  A convicted nonbeliever would say, 
sure, the Christian morals are nice but Jesus did not exist, so worship is 
not worthwhile.  But the poet Bezdomny, who was probably at heart a 
believer, only described Jesus with "negative traits," while still holding 
that he once lived.  By the end of the novel, Bezdomny is not only a 
believer, but is granted the task of writing a sequel to the Master's 
novel.  So, in essence, he will be the Master's successor in the task of 
bringing the truth to Moscow.  The devil, by making Bezdomny question his 
beliefs from their first meeting, and then introducing him to the Master 
in the psychiatric ward, brings about this inheritance.

	The disappearing clothes trick is a perfect example of the devil 
affecting the masses, because he plays on their greed and embarrassment.  
He pushes the limits of social correctness and teaches people to 
misbehave, letting the women indulge themselves in fineries.  Another 
example is the night of the witches, in which Natasha, like Margarita, 
learns to be free from inhibition.  Nikanor Ivanovich also experiences 
this freedom, and is forever after wistful of losing it, as he stares at 
the sky on the spring full moon.  The Devil and his retinue defy the law 
by running too quickly to be caught, staging shootouts, murders and fires, 
and making the police feel like fools when they come to an empty apartment 
again and again.  The devil thus conquers structure and order, freeing the 
repressed members of the society, and punishing the corrupt and skeptical 
as he goes.  Interestingly, these are some of the ideals the socialist 
movement had.  This character drives the theme of constant change and 
growth in a society; he brings necessary chaos in a time of stagnation.



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