The Master and Margarita by M. Bulgakov is the most mysterious work in Russian literature of the 20th century. Each of the characters deserves close attention. You can reread the novel endlessly, each time finding in it something new. Of particular interest is Ivan Bezdomny. Critics put forward various versions as to who served as the prototype for this hero.
Incompetent poet
Who is Ivan Homeless? In the first chapter, this character appears in the eyes of the reader not in the best possible way. Being a member of MASSOLIT, on an unfortunate day, he meets at the Patriarch's Ponds with the chairman of the treasured organization - Berlioz. In a conversation with this man, Ivan discovers his boundless ignorance. And with the advent of Woland, he behaves very stupidly, which leads him ultimately to the Stravinsky clinic with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Another Ivan
Throughout the novel, Ivan Homeless is gradually being transformed. The main reason for the changes in his views is a meeting with the main character, which took place in a clinic for the mentally ill. The master and Ivan Homeless spend long hours talking about the cowardice of Pontius Pilate, the criminal execution of Yeshua Ga-Nozri, the love affair between the hero and Margarita. And most importantly, the mysterious neighbor tells Ivan about his misadventures associated with the attempt to publish a novel.
Enemies of the Master
Members of MASSOLITH - representatives of the literary elite - Ivan's new acquaintance does not really favor. And there is reason for it. Because of their fault, the novel is not published. Because of them, he burned the work that he had been creating for so long. And it is they who are guilty of the fact that the Master is in the clinic for the mentally ill. After futile attempts to publish a novel, he did not have anything left: neither a name, nor a surname, nor a future. Ivan Homeless in the novel "The Master and Margarita" is a typical representative of the elite literary world. And this world is hated not only by the hero of the novel, but also by the author himself.
Alexander Bezymensky
In the early twenties in one of the best Moscow theaters, the production of the play “Turbin Days” took place, which was a stunning success. But the author had many ill-wishers. One of them is Alexander Bezymensky, an active Komsomol leader and poet. A scandal broke out between him and Vladimir Mayakovsky, which was later satirically portrayed by Bulgakov in the novel “The Master and Margarita”. Homeless scolded Sasha Ryukhin and called him mediocrity. According to this version, the prototype of Ryukhin is Mayakovsky, Ivan Bezdomny - Bezymensky.
Stanton
At the Patriarch's Ponds, Woland predicted the poet's madness. A parallel can be drawn between this fragment and Matyurin’s novel Melmot the Wanderer. One of the characters in the work of an English writer meets a man who sold his soul to the devil. He, like Woland, foreshadows his stay in a psychiatric hospital, while naming the exact time of this event. This hero's name is Stanton, and he is one of Ivan Homeless's alleged prototypes.
Student
Much of the philosophical drama of Johann Goethe borrowed Bulgakov when creating the novel "The Master and Margarita." Ivan Bezdomny, by the way, has traits that indicate the Student - a character in the work of a German poet. The main similarity is self-confidence. The Goethean Student neglects the opinion of his teacher, Mephistopheles, for which he suffers cruelly. Ivan Homeless has the imprudence to declare to Woland about his non-existence. In addition, rude, rude and generally behaves in the most inappropriate way. The devil should not be treated like that. And therefore, as a punishment, Ivan goes to the clinic, "ask the professor what schizophrenia is."
Other versions
The prototype of Ivan Homeless, or one of them, is also considered Ivan Pribludny. This poet belonged to the environment of Sergei Yesenin. He was a famous person in literary Moscow circles, had a reputation as a joker and a merry fellow. Popularity was brought to him not by merit in literature, but by friendship with the great poet and participation in brawls, which were arranged by the famous "bawdy and brawler." In favor of this version, perhaps, only fights in the restaurant speak. The Homeless had done something similar after the death of Berlioz in Griboedov.
The prototypes of the hero Bulgakov are considered some more representatives of literary Moscow of the twenties. The most common version says that the author of a cult novel created the image of a mediocre poet, impressed by the personality of Demian Poor.
The most implausible is that the prototype of the Homeless is Sergey Yesenin himself. It is based only on the stay in the hospital of the Bulgakov hero. The great Russian poet, as you know, has been to such institutions more than once. However, the similarity that Ivan Bezdomny may have with Yesenin ends here. The characterization of this character primarily indicates the absence of a poetic gift. This man in literature turned out to be by chance. He writes to order and does it mediocre. The Homeless admits this to the Master during their nightly conversations. This image has nothing to do with the great Russian poet, who, in addition to his unique talent, also possessed extremely painful pride. By the way, some Bulgakologists consider Sergei Yesenin the prototype of the Master himself.
Bulgakov’s novel can be deciphered endlessly, which is what the researchers have been diligently doing for more than half a century. But the writer's work is primarily a reflection of his life experience. Therefore, events or people known to him in life cannot help appearing in full or in part on the pages of his immortal work.