A Reading of Bulgakov’s the Master and Margarita from the Perspective of the Karma Theory

Abstract

The Master and Margarita is generally regarded as the finest masterpiece on Soviet Russia andtheStalinistregimewrittenbyMikhailBulgakov.Theobjectiveofthispaperistoattempttoshowhowthetheoryofkarma isjustifiedbyanalyzingtheactionsofmajorcharactersinthenovel.Thedevil disguised as Woland punished the modern materialist man who is enclosed in a machinistworld ignorant of the relevance of karma in their life. The law of karma is applicable to the novelasthemajorityofcharactersundergomentalconflictandtheirimmoralactionsdrivenbyintentionleadtofutureconsequences.Thesocietyimmersedinmaterialisticprosperityissatiricallyportrayed in this novel in relation to the concept of their karma. Though the author is rooted inwesterntheology,thepresentstudyaimstoshowthathemusthavebeeninfluencedbytheEasternphilosophyofkarmatheory.