Sabina's Unbearable Lightness of Being and how it differs from other Lightness'
             In Milan Kundera's novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, each of the four main characters experience the "lightness of being" and react to that lightness in a different manner. Sabina is a character that lives her life for herself. By not conforming to the many expectations that people and society have placed on her throughout her life she is able to maintain her individuality. She receives pleasure and comfort by betraying the major forces in her life such as her parents and the communist regime. However, Sabina is the only character who faces the "unbearable lightness of being," as compared with characters such as Tomas and Franz who find much more happiness in the lightness of being.
             Sabina's realization of the unbearable lightness of being begins with Franz's decision to inform his wife, Marie-Claude, of his nine-month affair with Sabina. Franz felt by telling his wife the truth he is lifting the burden of lies from his being. This would allow him to feel a new lightness of being. Sabina, on the other hand, now believes that her life, once hidden from everyone but herself and Franz, would now become the public spectacle for anyone to see. On page 115 Sabina felt that "once her love had been publicized, it would gain weight, become a burden." This weight was something she could not tolerate and she almost immediately understood that she would no longer be able to see Franz. It was not a choice she was proud of or entirely sure of either. It would be just one more act of betrayal in a long series of betrayals that marked many important events in her life.
             Once Sabina had broken contact with Franz and moved to Paris to start her life once again, she had found that the thrill and excitement of her betrayals was waning. She eventually realized that her betrayals in succession had...