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Originally Posted by sun surfer
I also loved the ending and still wonder over it. Why doesn't the master and Margarita get to go to heaven? Is Bulgakov atoning for his own sins, condemning himself to a blissful limbo instead of outright heaven? I read that he at first had them go to heaven but changed it to make them stay in limbo, and that he agonised over which route to give them.
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That surprised me too - and I don't know how to interpret it either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sun surfer
I also love how complex the character of Woland is. He's certainly not pure evil, so what is he?
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He is Lucifer, God's adversary and a part of God's plan. A different interpretation of the devil than simple evil. Mephistopheles in Goethe's Faust is also not pure evil. It could be interesting to look into how the devil is represented in the Russian-Orthodox church.
I can't see at all how he could be interpreted as Stalin.
I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere, but the name Woland reminds me of the mythical figure of Wayland (or Wieland or Völund). I know Wolund is an old German name for the devil, and my guess is that it's just a coincidence, but I still wondered whether there should be any connection anywhere.