The Unbearable Lightness of Being

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?

How does The Unbearable Lightness of Being use dreams as a motif? What do Tereza’s dreams signify and how do they speak to the novel’s major themes?

How does this text define kitsch, and how do the characters fight against or embrace its cultural dominance?

Discuss the theme of soul and body dualism. How does the novel resolve the opposition between soul and body? Which of the characters can be said to represent soul and which body?

Discuss the theme of Totalitarian Repression. How do each of the novel’s characters rebel against state control of politics, art, and culture? How does the search for freedom in public and political life intersect with the search for freedom within private relationships?

How is Beethoven’s music used as a motif within the narrative? Which of the novel’s themes does it speak to?

Discuss the symbolism of Sabina’s bowler hat. What does it represent, and how does it take on new meanings as the novel progresses?