Love and Hope Theme Analysis

Love is unambiguously at the heart of The Master and Margarita. The titular characters of the novel, the master and Margarita, know that they love each other from the moment that they meet (despite both being married already) and remain devoted to one another even when their paths diverge far apart. Love, then, is shown not just to be a feeling between two people, but a force that governs their lives—a kind of fate and destiny. Furthermore, love constitutes a kind of hope—this hope keeps the master and Margarita alive, both deciding not to commit suicide because of their commitment to one another. In the novel, love and hope, like lovers, go hand in hand.

At the start of Book Two, the narrator addresses the reader directly to paint a picture of the kind of love that the master and Margarita share. This definition then informs the rest of the novel, creating a sense that the strength of their love will inevitably reunite them. The narrator describes this love as “true, faithful, eternal,” explicitly levelling criticism at the “vile tongues” of “liars” who pretend that this kind of love doesn’t exists. The narrator then implores the reader to “follow” them and be shown “such a love.” The entire book, then, becomes a consideration of this type of love. Bulgakov wants his readers to believe in this love’s existence, and to witness how it conquers both characters’ suffering. By advocating for this love’s existence, the book asks the reader to examine their own relationship to love: are their loves “true,” “faithful,” and “eternal;” and if not, why not? Or is this the kind of love that exists only rarely, not for everyone to experience?

The answer seems to be about faith and hope: everyone, Bulgakov’s book argues, should believe in this kind of love. Both the master and Margarita continue to love one another even when they don’t know if the other is still living. This belief gives purpose and meaning to their lives—in fact, it literally keeps them alive. There is, however, an important distinction between the master’s and Margarita’s attitude to their love. Whereas Margarita never gives up hope that she will find her lover, the master—fearing his novel’s rejection has made him insane—deliberately avoids contacting her. This is because he feels that the best expression of his love is to set her free. Still, both characters, in their separation from one another, strive to honor the love between them as best they can.

The force of this love ultimately takes over and leads them back to one another. This is mostly enacted by Margarita’s determination to do whatever it takes to find the master, but his actions too represent a quiet patience and grace that also constitute a kind of hope. The other marriages and relationships portrayed in the book provide the counterexample: most of the minor characters (generally the victims of Woland’s gang) have spouses, but none of them show an ounce of respect or care for their partners. Perhaps, then, the overall argument about love is similar to the argument about art: make it true and treat it with respect; acknowledge its complexities and mysteries. As in art, the novel demands this sort of authenticity in love.

Looking at this theme more widely, the message of hope and love in the novel can be read as Bulgakov’s message to his readers in defiance of the oppression the Soviet Union. He changed the title of the book a number of times and, knowing that he wouldn’t live to see the its publication, chose to emphasize not Woland’s visit to Moscow (as the earlier titles did) but to instead place the master and Margarita’s love directly at the book’s heart. This particular type of love—“real love,” continuing the idea of authenticity—is best summed up by Woland towards the end of the book (again complicating the idea of him as evil incarnate). He states that “he who loves must share the lot of the one he loves.” The book, then, is arguing for a selfless kind of love in which people give courage to one another. Love in The Master and Margarita can easily be overlooked by a reader dazzled by the wild antics of Woland and his gang, but Bulgakov clearly wants the relationship between the master and Margarita to be a paramount consideration of his readers. In doing so, the author asks people to examine their ideas of love, and advocates for authenticity and selflessness.