The title The Unbearable Lightness of Being represents a major theme that reoccurs throughout the book. Milan Kundera centers this theme on the relationship between Tomas and Tereza, the main characters. His writing centers on with whom and what his characters identify themselves with (Day). They are a married couple live in Prague during the Russian occupation. They have a bizarre relationship; Tomas cheats on Tereza incessantly, believing that "...the only relationship that can make both partners happy is one in which sentimentality has no place and neither partner makes any claim on the life and freedom of the other" (Kundera 12). This is the type of "lightness" of attitude Tomas exhibits throughout the novel. Conversely, Tereza is prone to "heaviness," meaning she carries weight wherever she goes and in everything she does. These two ideas shape the relationship between the two. The ideas are often at odds and cause problems for Tereza and Tomas. However, the ideas also explain why they are together and what makes them stay together.

It is impossible to explain the ideas of lightness and heaviness in this novel without discussi

ng existentialism. Existentialism is "a term that designates a concern in philosophy, literature, and art with the irreducibly personal and subjective aspect of human existence" (Existentialism). There is a definite emphasis on the individuals in this novel. The reader is concerned with how bearing all of this weight will wear Tereza down. At the same time, the reader has compassion for Tomas not being able to live a life of lightness because of Tereza. He is undeserving of this compassion for two reasons: he is a habitual adulterer, and he asked Tereza to marry him. The emphasis on Tomas and Tereza's ability to make their own choices is evident when Tomas decides to return to Prague after Tereza leaves him in Zurich. Although he is fully aware that the seven years he spent with Tereza were "more attractive in retrospect than they were when he was living them" (Kundera 30), he decides that "Es muss sein" (Kundera 32). "Es muss sein" means "It must be" in German, a quote from Beethoven's music. Tomas has made a decision to return to Tereza. That is his choice, and there is something very "light" about having a choice. Instead of being able to grasp that he is responsible for his choice, Tomas weighs it down with "Es muss sein." After saying this, it seems as though he never really had a choice, and now his decision is heavy and weighted. He has always thought that "truth lies in the opposing idea, in weight, in necessity" (Calvino).

Heaviness and weight follow Tereza all the way to her death. About half way through the book, the plot leaps forward to a time in the future when Tomas' son receives a letter telling him Tereza and Tomas died in an automobile accident. They were crushed under the weight of their truck. The weight was with Tereza when she first came to Prague to be with Tomas in the form of the heavy Anna Karina book she carried under her arm. The main character of that book also died by weight, although it was that of a moving train. At first thought, it may seem as though Kundera implies Tomas was eventually killed by Tereza's weight. However, his neglect of the truck, his carefree attitude, his lightness, allowed the brakes to go unrepaired and fail.

Tereza's struggle with Tomas' infidelities is evident throughout the book. At one point, she begins to tremble she is so jealous. Tomas asks her what he can do for her, and she replies that she wants him to be old. The narrator says, "What she meant was: I want you to be weak. As weak as I am" (Kundera 73). Tereza is weak because she is constantly under the weight. The weight is her jealousy. The reason she could never leave Tomas lies in her heaviness. Everything about her life is heavy. Her mother was emotiona

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1839
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)