The Unbearable Lightness of Being
First of all, it should be mentioned that this novel is both a political and a philosophical novel, and the characters and the setting relates to what life was like in a post-WWII Soviet satellite nation. It was the Cold War period; and Prague, where the novel is set, had somehow avoided the terrible destruction that many European cities had to endure. And while the European cities that had been bombed or were otherwise plundered by the Nazis, were using this post-war period to rebuild - in a renaissance-like atmosphere of regeneration and hope - it seems that Prague was falling into a period of stagnation. Meanwhile during the novel the Soviets invade Czechoslovakia in a brutal show of force to put down any thoughts that the citizens may have of becoming a democracy like the west. So politics plays a big part in the novel, and clearly author Milan Kundera is expressing through his literary prowess his own experiences and philosophies with regard to the Soviet Union.Kundera is not the kind of writer who uses the traditional tools of literature in expected ways. In fact, he sets the tone for the philosophical mentalities of both protagonists (Tereza and Tomas) in the very beginning of the novel: "The idea of eternal return is a m
And readers know that Tomas really does love her because he returns to Prague, knowing full well he won't be able to continue as a physician. Risk-taker is an understatement for someone who is taking pictures of the massive show of force put on by the Soviet Union. And even though she is the "light" one, she also is the one who decides to return to Prague, bad as it is politically to be there given her longing for beauty and for a world of peace. But the other part of her psychological make up is that she is something of an autodidact, able to teach herself things like photography; hence, her value in the eyes of the reader is enhanced. Tomas is obviously a bright alert man, being a surgeon; he is a "heavy" person with his career and his skills and his power to attract women. A surprising event happens in the novel when Tereza herself has an affair - a vain attempt to help her cope with Tomas' bad behavior. Something else about Tereza's psychological strength should be mentioned. Maybe, alert readers could think, this is why Tereza is psychologically so locked into Tomas. Every adult in the Western world has seen movies where either the Nazis or the Soviet Communists calmly kill people who refuse to cooperate, so we know this man, albeit he is a cheater on his wife, doesn't have a phony bone in his body when it comes to his political beliefs. The philosophical depth toward true love that readers begin to understand about Tereza (even though she is "light") comes through in part because of the way Kundera weaves into the story how egotistical and shallow Tereza's mother was. But Tomas' philosophy of life is to chase as many women as he possibly can, and to have as many exciting affairs as he possibly can. So psychologically, Tomas is all right with going back to a situation that is politically deplorable, where he can only wash windows for a living, because he really does love Tereza. And yet she is the one who is more heavily into their relationship - she is loyal to him - and he considers her lightly when he goes out and finds new women to charm and get into bed. The psychology here is very intense and after the act with a man she thought was an engineer - but she wasn't sure he really was an engineer - she is paranoid and guilty, fearing he might have filmed their lovemaking. When she first meets Tomas in her small town and they talk for an hour before he has to leave on the train, she already knows she wants to love this man.
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Acceptance Essays
