The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1984

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

Discuss the theme of lightness and weight. Which characters represent lightness and which weight? Does Tomáš ultimately find an answer to his dilemma about which of these conditions is preferable?

Discuss the characterization of Sabina. How do her artistic ability and strong sense of individualism speak to the climate of widespread repression that characterized Czechoslovakia during the communist period? What connections exist between her personal and artistic forms of rebellion?

Discuss the characterization of Tereza. How does Kundera use her to discuss the dichotomy between lightness and weight?