Pasternak's poem "Magdalen" is included in the novel "Doctor Zhivago" as a monologue by Lara, the lyrical heroine. The plot was a gospel text about a repentant harlot who washes Christ's feet and escorts him to the last journey.
First part
It begins the development of the thought of Magdalene. At night, demons come to the maiden and suck her heart with memories of debauchery. The beginning of the second stanza suspends these visions in "deathly silence". Is this the end of memories, or does it put an end to life in sin and debauchery? The meaning of these lines of Pasternak’s poem “Magdalene” can be interpreted in two ways. But nevertheless, his Magdalene repents and abandons life in sin: reaching the extreme fall, she breaks her life “like an alavastric vessel”.
After that, everything is immediately transferred from the material world to the existential one. If at first Magdalene was alone, then here she already appears before the Savior. The central stanzas are addressed to the Teacher and the Savior, whom we see with her eyes. Magdalen only feels his salvation in him, mixed with repentance and self-condemnation. The heroine of Pasternak grew together in immense longing, “like an escape from a tree,” with her Master, who was destined to defeat death and hell. Only in the last stanza does she decide to turn to him by name, resting his feet on her knees, saying that she is now learning to prepare him for burial.
Part two
The first stanzas, when Margarita, sobbing, not seeing anything because of tears, washes the feet of the Savior, prosaic.
But then the lyrical heroine rises to the heights of foresight. She is now, like the Sibyls, able to predict, her spiritual inner beginning has become so aggravated. And what does Pasternak Magdalen see? His last hours and minutes of earthly life, torment on the cross, death and resurrection. But is the world worthy of such a burden that for all, with arms outstretched on the cross, Jesus embraces it whole and grants salvation to all? The cross will tear to the sky, and Magdalene herself will throw herself on the ground at the crucifixion, not yet knowing what forces will be found in her in order to survive until the resurrection.
It is difficult to draw clear boundaries between everyday life and symbolic plans. To do this, you need to consider the novel in its entirety, as its heroes conduct dialogues that break the eternal into the transient. The voice of Magdalene in the novel is very significant, since Jesus explained the truth to her. One can thus analyze Pasternak's Magdalene. But you can look at it with completely different eyes.
Other reading
Not everyone believes truthfully, like B. L. Pasternak, and does not perceive the words of the four Gospels as absolute truth. By the way, the Gospel was much larger, but they were declared apocryphal, and for being in the house they immediately sent to the fire. Now they are all published (Sventsitskaya Irina Sergeevna). Parsnip’s poem “Magdalene” is imbued with faith and love. It beautifully and poetically conveys the myth. Who was Jesus really? A false messiah, of which there were many in his time? During his lifetime, he collected only twelve students from the lowest and uneducated strata of society. The poem "Magdalene" does not bring us closer to understanding what the Creator is.