Milan Kundera's novel is self-consciously constructed according to the presence of motifs, so feel free to start tracking some of them in Book 1, as we will do in groups for the rest of the session. Otherwise post discussion questions as usual. This book is rich not just in motifs but in metaphors and literary allusions, as well as ideas about art, history, and life. Enjoy!
At the start of our book, Kundera immediately sets the tone with the paradox of lightness and weight, whether or not weight is something that is a burden or if it is something that has meaning. Does Teresa represent that weight that is baggage?
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 25 of part 2, Tereza refuses a Swiss photogropher's idea that she should try to get a job working for the garden section of the magizine. What does it say about the role of women that she came with images of violence and is being advised to gardening, a far more feminine subject? What does the focus of the photographer on the way Tereza was able to capture the women which would work well with fashion represent? After her rejection, the female photographer seems confused and wonders why Tereza would want to rely on her husband. What does this say able females roles and the strong desire by many women to break free of it? (page 70-71)
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning chapters the narrator discusses Nietzsche's idea of eternal return which claims that everything we experience will happen to us an infinite number of times. In the first line of chapter 3 from part 1, the narrator says that he has been thinking a lot about a man named Tomas for a while but "only in light of these reflections did [he] see him clearly" (6). What exactly was it about Tomas and his story that reflected Nietzsche's theory and the discussion the narrator has about it? Was he light or heavy? What about Tereza? Does anything about Tomas' story contradict Nietzsche?
ReplyDeleteQuestion from Rebecca Sai: When Tereza left Tomas to go back to Prague, the author said that he would have had her leave any other wsy. Tomas truly started to feel the lightness of being, and it was said that all of the tiring aspects of their relationship was then gone and only the beauty of their love remained. However this lightness that he was feeling was not enough to keep him away from Tereza, as he traveled back to Prague to be with her. Is the lightness of being that one feels truly underneath only satisfactory and temporary?
ReplyDeleteThe narrator and Tereza seem to be fully aware of the fortuities, or coincidences, that happen in the story. Most notably, she seems to be aware of the number "6," Beethoven, and books. Tereza attributes these coincidences to the reason why she was attracted to Tomas in the first place, and is why she feels happy at the end of book two. Do you think Tereza would have ever been with Tomas if not for her past and her recognition of the coincidences?
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 9 of part 1, the narrator differentiates the definitions of compassion based on the roots of the word. Compassion can be seen as "sympathizing with those who suffer" (which may come off as condescending) or it can be seen as being able to "live with other's misfortune" and "feel with him any emotion." What is the author's purpose in clarifying these definitions? Is Tomas's love for Tereza defined by his compassion for her or does he actually love her?
ReplyDeleteIn Kunderas’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Tereza’s believes that her relationship with Tomas is condemned because he is strong and she is weak. When Tomas follows her back to Prague, Tereza is finally happy because she sees his return as reversal in her being weak and him being strong. In this novel, is happiness dependent on individual strength? Can strength and weakness be shared in Tomas and Tereza’s relationship?
ReplyDeleteThe characters feel a sense of fear of women. While Tereza saw herself as threatened by all women because they could all be potential mistresses for Tomas, the only thing that bequeathed Tomas from the loss of his entire family was his fear of women. How do the vivid and dangerous dreams of Tereza and Tomas's inability to sleep with women portray the threats of femininity both physically and emotionally?
ReplyDeleteDuring our in-class discussion of Cold War masculinity and the "ideal" man, one characteristic that was mentioned was having mistresses, or multiple sexual partners. Tomas exemplifies this, but after being with Tereza he finds that he really is in love, and even follows her back to Prague when she leaves because of his infidelity. For this reason, does being promiscuous serve as a counterexample of true masculinity?
ReplyDeleteWhy does the narrator repeat certain phrases, exactly, word for word?
ReplyDelete(For example, "She was a child whom he had taken from a bulrush basket... page 7) or ("Es muss sein," page 32). What effect does it have on the reader?
Why does Kundera feel that the inability of men to try more than one path and compare them renders the path taken meaningless and light? SInce that chosen path is the only path men experiences, should it not be laden with all the weight in the world?
ReplyDeleteThe first thing the narrator mentions about Tomas is him standing in his flat, looking out at the world, not knowing what to do. What is it about this moment that connects the narrator to Tomas? How does his indecisiveness connect with the discrepancies between lightness and heaviness?
ReplyDeleteThe idea of contrasts is mentioned repeatedly throughout the book. Do these contrasts have any significance in relation to the gender roles and the subtle paranoia surrounding them in the book?
ReplyDeleteWhat does theme of having to choose between two different objects; lightness and beings, copulation and sleeping, suggest about human life and what it means to live?
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 3, Kundera makes a point that in our lives we can't compare one choice to another because we haven't lived both choices yet so we don't have a reference. But he continues on and says, "If we only have one life to live, we might as well not lived at all" (8). What does Kundera mean when he says this? Is their a double meaning or is it straight forward?
ReplyDeleteIn appears that Tomas is the type of person that seeks out "lightness" in life. This can be seen with his rule of never allowing himself to be committed to a women. However, it seems that he broke this rule with Tereza as he allows her to stay overnight and bring in a suitcase with her. Why did he make the exception with Tereza?
ReplyDeleteHow might the lightness and heaviness discussed in The Unbearable Lightness of Being represent how people acted and felt during the time of the Cold War? Looking back on previous stories we have read, who would you describe as seeking a light life and who would you describe as seeking a heavy life? Is it possible that an event like the Cold War would change a person from living a life of lightness to living one of heaviness and vice versa? Why?
ReplyDeleteOn page 21 the narrator states, "Anyone who has failed to benefit from the Devil's gift of compassion (co-feeling) will condemn Tereza's coldly for her deed, because privacy is sacred and drawers containing intimate correspondence are not to be opened." At this point it's understood that the correspondence was dated after Tereza and Tomas had met which therefore confirms Tomas' infidelity. Why does the narrator not comment on Tomas' faults for continuing his polygamous lifestyle? Further, why can Tereza be exonerated for not respecting Tomas' privacy because of compassion?
ReplyDelete