"The fact is that a year ago I wrote a novel about Pilate." "
You’re a writer?" asked the poet with interest.
The guest’s face darkened, and he shook his fist at Ivan that then said, "I am the Master." He became stern, reached into the pocket of his robe and took out a grimy black cap that had the letter "M" embroidered on it in yellow silk. He put the cap on and modeled it for Ivan in profile and full face, in order to prove that he was the Master. "She sewed this for me with her own hands," he added mysteriously. (p. 114)
So we finally meet the character of the title, and there seems to be a hint of Margarita in the last sentence. And who is the Master? The patient who has gotten ahold of the keys and has been visiting Ivan Bezdomney. After telling Ivan that Professor Woland is indeed the devil himself, he proceeds to tell him a bit about his own life, a novel he’s written about Pontius Pilate that was never published, and a married woman with whom he had an affair, Margarita.
What’s interesting here is that in the face of typical Russian style triple named characters (plus nicknames!), author Bulgakov introduces his characters with little to no introduction. Instead, he plops them into the middle of an established character’s life (Woland into the conversation of Berlioz and Bezdomney; the Master as a patient who visits Bezdomney) and it is only later that we may find out who they are and how they relate to the others and the story line.
Here we’ve seen that not Jesus, but Pontius Pilate is a theme that ties many of the characters together. Pilate has always been portrayed as a man who was affected by Jesus, believed he should not be put to death, tried his damnedest to have others make the decision so that he could wash his hands of the situation, assuage his guilt, and yet maintain his political position without danger.
Is there something in the way the characters are introduced that tells us something of their character…or of ours?
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology