The Role of Ivan Bezdomnyi in Bulgakov's Master and Margarita

In Bulgakov's book "Master and Margarita," Bezdomny is used as a term for the homeless in Russian. In this case, it is given to Ivan Nikolayevich Ponyryov, a 23-year-old poet. Ivan Bezdomny is portrayed as the most divisive character in the book. In most instances, he is remembered as a sanctified fool; an impersonation and ironic portrayal of a well-known poet. His moral uprightness and friendship with the lord are thought to be open to a wide range of meanings (Kisel 600). In short, he is widely regarded as a derogatory character and a failing disciple of a failed mentor. But through the heretical, insane and metaphorical representation of his life, he changes his mentality to undergo an eye-opening transformation which is influenced by the master. For that reason, Bulgkov forces us to reflect on the theme of having a home in its multiple connotations.
The first representation of a home in this story is through occupation. Yet Ivan is presented as a person whom people do not know his work. He is therefore considered homeless because of the lack of a noble occupation. Furthermore, instead of carrying on with the work that his master left; writing the novel about Pilate, and being a professor at an institute he relinquishes his belief in the master and the events which are related to him. In this case, the relinquishing of his belief means that he does not belong anywhere. Therefore, while assessing the position of Bezdomny as a spreader of the master’s message, his achievement seems dim. He is seen as unsuccessful person in carrying on the work of the master and even more importantly grasping the lessons of his word, life and conveying them to other individuals. He does not seem like a successful person in the eyes of so many characters. In fact, his name which is a synonym for a homeless person says it all (Kisel 600).
However, it is clear that as a person, he finds a home at the end of the story because his integrity remains uncorrupted. At the end of the novel, he comes out as a person who has experience and confidence to accomplish tasks entrusted to him by the master. A keen look at the novel portrays sufficient support (that Bezdomnyi will find a home in the Gospel) for the supposition that Bezdomny will be prosperous in seeking the truth which was started by the master. Despite the divergent view which shows that there is no consensus regarding the representation of Ivan, it is clear that his significance in constructing the novel is unquestionable. He plays a huge role in the novel because, in entirety, it seems like the entire story revolves around his presence. He is the character who starts and closes the story; he is a source of at least one of the Pilate chapters and the sole sympathetic character that is reliably connected to the Moscow level of the story. He is mentioned in all the key areas of the novel, and this makes him a vital figure. Also, while casting the character of Ivan in a positive way, it is important to comprehend that his structural importance is inseparable from the thematic importance. He operates as one of the novels protruding images and as the bearer of one of the story's central thematic apprehensions where Bulkagov can elaborate the image of history.
Ivan is a huge source of the story’s iconography. The manner in which he appears at the restaurant is a true imitation of John the Baptist. He is portrayed as Homeless when he appears in rags following his baptism in the river of Moscow to caution his people that Satan exists among them (Haber 350). He finds it hard to deliver his message to the people because of the manner in which he is dressed. However, the reaction of the crowd at the restaurant is also a clear cut scenario as it imitates the angel’s prophecy which states that John the Baptist shall be great in the Lord’s sight and shall not take any drink (strong or wine). Furthermore, his imprisonment in the ridiculous sanctuary represents a similar verdict that was passed on John the Baptist. As Bezdomny develops in cognizance, he relinquishes his former life as a poet thrice. First when Dr. Stranvinskii identifies him as a well-known poet, when the master asks what he does for a living, and the detective expresses the hope that he will soon write poetry again (Amert 600). This is an implicit satire of the way Peter denied Christ thrice. At the end of the story, Bezdomny is transformed into one of the story’s most beautiful iconic images. He is kissed goodbye by Margarita and for a second, their cheeks touch. Margarita bends towards him, and Ivan wraps his arms around her neck; a depiction of “Bogomater umileniia” which means the mother of tenderness.
However, based on the production of the novel a reader can see that Ivan has a home in the production of Soviet novels. For instance, the phases in the journey of Ivan towards consciousness resemble those of a positive hero. The first phase which has a prolog, is equal to the archetypal separation stage. A typical Soviet always starts with the protagonist leaving his usual environment and seeking another place. The new environment in this case then functions as a ground for testing his manhood and also a place for myths and tribal law instruction. In Bezdomny's case, the appearance of Woodland disenchants him from his habitual setting. It is for the first time that his prominence and poems cause him embarrassment and not pleasure. As a result, he moves to a new place to seek asylum. As he reaches the new environment, he recognizes that everything is not right and he seeks a new way of righting the wrong which the Utopian dismisses. As a result, he ensures to inspire gatherings at a meeting where he displays his power as an orator (Haber 350). The first speech he delivered at a restaurant, he was dismissed as a person who is drunk and in grief. He then makes his second talk in a psychiatric clinic but was more of a low key. Therefore, as Clark starts what is referred to as the period of transition, which is the structure of the activity that constructs the socialist novel. The author reduces the entire procedure into one chapter referred to as the Schism of Ivan. In the course of this phase, the point in Ivan’s journey progresses towards the master.
On the other hand, the peak of a hero’s mission for cognizance incorporates two events; martyrdom which is either a symbolic or real death as well as an initiation scene where the mentor passes on the reins of the disciple. In this case, the master’s death is the representation of martyrdom while the initiation is considered the ultimate visit to the insane asylum, during which the master passed the reins to Bezdomny and left (Amert 600). As Ivan goes through history, there is a special importance which is advanced in the story because unlike Margarita and the Master, Ivan remains stranded at the end of the novel. Not because he does not understand what is needed but because he is at a point where history intersects. In this case, he is left with the task of recording history and while doing so being in charge of the literature. This is a huge achievement for Ivan because, at the start of the novel, it was clear that he was not in charge as it was shown by his initial encounter with history. He had been beforehand commissioned to write regarding a satirical poetry which denigrated the image of Christ, but according to the narrator, his entire ignorance of the topic and his descriptive powers made his Christ emerge as a living person. At this point, Berlioz who was his editor rejected Bezdomy's work, and this meant that he had denied the first part of History (Kisel 600). Nonetheless, Ivan, on the other hand, clutches what is transpiring notwithstanding the vague nature of the insane world but remains overwhelmed by the instantaneous occurrence of sacred history.

Works Cited
Amert, Susan. "The Dialectics of Closure in Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita." The Russian Review 61.4 (2002): 599-617.
Haber, Edythe C. "The Mythic Bulgakov: The Master and Margarita and Arthur Drews's the Christ Myth." The Slavic and East European Journal 43.2 (1999): 347-360.
Kisel, Maria. "Feuilletons Don't Burn: Bulgakov's" The Master and Margarita" and the Imagined" Soviet Reader." Slavic Review (2009): 582-600.