Interesting passages and hidden meanings

The chapter title refers back to the argument in chapter 1. Kant, according to Woland, demolished the five proofs of God's existence and built his own, sixth, in their place. Woland ironically promises Berlioz “the seventh proof.” And it comes true literally: Berlioz slips on spilled sunflower oil, falls onto the streetcar tracks, and his head is cut off, exactly as predicted, with a Komsomol girl in a red headscarf driving the streetcar. Why this matters. “The seventh proof” is Berlioz's death itself. The novel's logic: the devil exists and knows everything in advance, so higher powers exist too. The atheist Berlioz, who has just denied God, the devil, and predestination, dies exactly “on schedule,” proving by his death what he denied.

Woland mentions in advance that the disaster has already been set up: “Annushka has already bought the sunflower oil, and not only bought it but even spilled it.” This is one of the most famous details in the novel. Notice: — In Bulgakov the name “Annushka” becomes a symbol of the petty everyday accident that turns out to be an instrument of fate. Later she will be nicknamed “the Plague.” — Spilled oil is the most ordinary thing, yet it sets off the death. The lofty (fate, predestination) works through the low and everyday. — Berlioz runs to the turnstile to call “to the proper place” (that is, to the secret police) about a dangerous foreigner: in other words, he means to inform on him. The irony of fate: instead of making the call, he finds death. Why this matters. Bulgakov shows that a person does not control even the next hour of his life. This is a direct answer to the self-assurance of Berlioz in chapter 1, who was making plans for the evening.

In this chapter Koroviev (Fagott) appears in full for the first time: a lanky citizen in checks and a cracked pince-nez who looks like a choirmaster. It is he who shows Berlioz the way to the turnstile, straight toward his death. — “Choirmaster” and “in checks” are the telltale features of Koroviev, Woland's jester and interpreter. — The cracked lens of the pince-nez is a detail that underlines his clownish, “cracked” nature. — Ivan Bezdomny sees what happens and understands that the foreigner and his companion are involved in the death. This is where his chase begins (the next chapter). Why this matters. Woland's retinue are not just demons but agents of retribution and irony. Koroviev steers Berlioz to his death not by force but by a word, a hint: evil works through the person's own choice.