I have often been fascinated by the devil. Upon hearing the word “evil,” many simply turn off, not wanting to hear anymore. Aren’t we, as good people, supposed to shun evil; do our best to destroy it; rebuke it; cast it down? For that’s what God did to his chief angel, Lucifer, and in turn, what Satan did to humanity. Indeed, humanity does not want to negate creation and the endeavors of humanity, but the much of what brings about the grandeur and greatness of humanity lies in its ability to challenge what is, even if it means the occasional revolution and destruction of systems and orders which no longer fit. Lucifer means “light bringer,” and I find that in many literary manifestations of the fallen archangel, he still fulfills that function.
In The Master and Margarita, Bulgakov’s Satanic incarnation, Woland, takes on this role. At one point, he sounds very similar to Goethe’s Mephistopheles when he states: “Think, now: where would your good be if there were no evil, and what would the world look like without shadow?” (348). Similarly, Mephistopheles states — in answer to Faust’s furtive who are you? – “A humble part of that great power / Which always means evil, always does good” (ll. 1119-20). Evil becomes, then, an integral part of God’s universal design, perhaps put best by Goethe’s Lord himself:
Man’s very quick to slacken his effort,
What he likes best is Sunday peace and quiet;
So I’m glad to give him a devil–for his own good,
To prod and poke and incite him as a devil should. (ll. 102-05)
There’s a great irony here: at the center of Christianity and how I’ve observed it working here in the States is a duty to abolish all evil. There seems to be an intolerance among many that cannot – will not — hear of anything but what they consider orthodox, like the respect that a president should be given, or the belief in values in the face of everything. Perhaps they are correct, but the fun part is seeing their reaction to the light. The light, in this case, is that which is uncomfortable, different, contrary. While there are those that suggest that the devil stand for negation — and in some sense, this must be true — but he also needs to be seen as a necessary component for allowing humanity to strive for excellence. The evil in this view, then, is laziness and apathy. I would also add complacency and self-righteousness.
The devil has a lot of work to do.
