The Master and Margarita Book 1, Chapters 10 - 18
Chapter 10
Rimsky, the financial director of the theatre meets with Varenukha, the theatre administrator, to discuss the upcoming Woland magic shows. They are both displeased with the arrangement, and they gossip about how Styopa had forced them to agree for the strange man to perform his shows in the theatre. Furthermore, Styopa’s strange reticence to speak about the matter at greater length had also annoyed them. They receive a telegram from the authorities in Yalta, informing them of a deranged man that claimed to be the director of the theatre. The two men are shocked by the telegram, and dismiss the likelihood of such a thing immediately. They receive another telegram minutes later, asking them to be wary of Woland. The two men are unable to believe that the individual from Yalta is truly Styopa because Yalta is a long way away from Moscow, and Rimsky had spoken to Styopa just earlier in the day. They are unable to reach him on his apartment telephone, but receive another telegram with Styopa’s signature asking them for money to return to Moscow. They send him the money, and Rimsky dispatches Varenukha to the authorities with the telegram messages. However, he is intercepted by Behemoth, Azazello, and a naked woman called Hella. Varenukha passes out just as the woman leans in to kiss him.
Chapter 11
Ivan struggles to hold on to his sanity as a storm breaks out over the city. He has written the account of his previous day, and cannot help but note the ridiculous nature of events. The doctor reads his work, while Ivan cries himself to sleep, just as he is about to drift away, he sees a man in the balcony above motioning him to be quiet.
Chapter 12
Rimsky hears nothing of Varenukha as the day progresses, and the time for Woland’s magic show approaches. He is quite surprised by Woland’s retinue as he observes them preparing for the show, it includes a giant cat walking on its hind legs and drinking water. The master of ceremony, George Bengalsky, introduces Woland’s show and assures them that magic does not exist and that Woland will be explaining all of his tricks. On stage, Woland comments that Moscow has changed quite a bit on the surface, and wonders if there is truly any change within the people. He does a simple card trick makes it more impressive, and then causes money to rain down on the audience. The audience scrambles for it, and Bengalsky attempts to restore some semblance of order by saying that money was fake, and probably a part of some form of mass hypnosis. Korovyvov cuts and beheads the man, and the audience screams, but he restores the head almost immediately. Bengalsky is completely panicked and has to be escorted off the stage by a group of men.
Korovyov then creates a fine dress, shoe, and perfume store on the stage. Women line up in heaps and change into beautiful dresses and shoes made by the best manufacturers in the world. The store disappears, and Korovyov talks to an official on one of the balconies and reveals that the man had been cheating on his wife. Chaos breaks out on the balcony as the man’s family begins to fight, and Woland’s retinue suddenly disappears from the stage.
Chapter 13
Ivan meets a fellow patient, who claims to have the keys to all the rooms, but he does not wish to escape as he has nowhere to go. He introduces himself as ‘The Master’ and listens to Ivan’s account without judgment or calling him mad. He is very shocked to hear the mention of Pontius Pilate and explains to Ivan that Woland was Satan. The Master tells him his own story at the asylum. He had been a well-known historian, who had won a large amount of money that allowed him to pursue his interest of writing a book. He met a beautiful woman in the street and the two realized that they were meant to be together even though they were both married to other people. They spent a lot of time together in a basement, hidden from the world, and the woman was extremely encouraging of his writing. He wrote a novel about Pontius Pilate and tried to have it published. The book was poorly received, and it was severely maligned by critics as being an apology for Jesus Christ. The master didn’t want to disappoint his love and left her to come to the asylum even though she had accepted him and wished to leave her husband for him. Ivan asks the master to talk about Pontius Pilate but he returns to his room.
Chapter 14
Rimsky is going over the strange things he witnessed at the magic show when he hears a scream and he looks outside to see naked women running in the streets. He concludes that the clothes handed out by Woland had disappeared. He wishes to alert the authorities but receives a telephone call menacing him to speak to no one. Just then Varenuka comes into the room and explains that Styopa had been drunk in a nearby and had been playing a prank on them with the telegrams. Rimsky notes that Varenukha is behaving very strangely, and suddenly he is attacked by a naked woman that tries to enter his office from a vent, and a levitating Varenukha. Rimsky is saved by a crowing cock that marks the dawn, which causes both Varenukh and the woman to disappear. Without a second thought, Varenukha rushes to the station and leaves the city with the earliest train.
Chapter 15
Bosoi is brought to the asylum because his stories about magically disappearing documents, and foreign currency are becoming increasingly vehement. He has a wild dream about a room full of people being convinced to give up their foreign currency. He shouts when he is called forward, and his shouts wake Ivan, who has to be sedated along with Bosoi. Ivan dreams about Bald Mountain.
Chapter 16
The soldiers bake in the scorching heat of the desert sun atop the bald mountain as preparations are made for the crucifixion. Levi watches the slow procession and curses himself for not being able to give Yeshua a quick and painless death. Levi had stolen a knife from a baker to kill Yeshua before he could be crucified. He had prayed to God to aid him, but he had given up the belief that God would have helped him. Four hours after Yeshua is nailed to the cross with two other criminals, a storm begins to brew in the distance, and Yehsua is put to death with a spear thrust after he is offered some water which he refuses for the sake of another. Levi cuts down Yeshua’s body along with the other two and carries him away from the bald mountain after the crowds and guards have departed.
Chapter 17
Vasily Stepanovich
There is a huge queue outside the theatre with eager people looking to buy tickets for the next Woland show. The top management officials of the Variety theatre have disappeared leaving Vasily Stepanovich, the bookkeeper, to take charge of the theatre. The police are brought in and they cancel the preceding shows, while Vasily is unable to give them a detailed account of the events from the previous evening since he had not attended the show. An official is deputized to submit the box office earnings but the city offices have been turned upside down by one calamity or another. He finally finds a means of depositing the money, but the box is found to contain foreign currency, and he is arrested.
Chapter 18
Berlioz’s uncle arrives from Kyiv intending to take over his nephew’s apartment, but he is surprised to find the apartment already occupied by Behemoth and Korovyov, who revokes his invitation and sends him packing. The barman from the theatre visits Woland to complain about the disappearing money, and is informed that he is going to die in nine months from cancer. It is also discovered that the man is only pretending to be poor. He leaves the apartment scared out of his wits as he has learned of his death and witnessed his hat transforming into a kitten. He visits the doctor and asks to be examined for cancer, but he is referred to another doctor. The money that the doctor received begins to transform into many things until he is reassured by a strange man that everything that occurred to him was nonsense.
Analysis
In the second section of the first book, the author’s criticism of the communist regime and its wholly corrupt bureaucracy gains momentum. The bureaucracy is shown to be powerless in dealing with satan’s arrival in their midst, and the prime hurdle lies in their corruption, desire for material wealth, and their decision to inhabit a reality of their own making rather than one that exists. Bosoi is pressed by multiple petitions for Berlioz’s death, even his uncle from Kyiv is more concerned about the apartment rather than mourning his nephew’s death. The people who attend the magic show reveal that people’s desire for material wealth remains unchecked even under Communism which is touted to be more egalitarian than other forms of government. The gravity of the problem is communicated through the fact that Satan, the antipode of good, must teach the people of Moscow that wealth is fleeting through disappearing money and dresses. The inefficacy of the bureaucracy is further highlighted through the execution of Jesus Christ on Bald Mountain. Pontius Pilate realizes that he doesn’t wish to execute Jesus, but he goes through with it because he believes his hands are tied by the bureaucracy of Rome.
