# The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera - Blinkist

What’s in it for me? Explore love, politics, and existential questions to gain a deeper understanding of life's choices.

Have you ever stopped to think about the weight of your decisions or actions? Why do some things seem to disappear on the breeze – a passing thought, a fleeting moment – while others weigh you down, or tie you to the world? From our small interpersonal relationships to grand historical shifts, there’s no denying the weight of existence.

Such philosophical questions were at the forefront of Milan Kundera’s mind when he penned The Unbearable Lightness of Being amid the tumultuous era of the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. Kundera’s characters serve as a reflection of the lightness of personal freedom contrasting with the weight of political oppression.

At the time of writing, Kundera was in exile from his Czech homeland – cast out by the communist government for his writings. These themes of estrangement and displacement are also present in the narrative. However, it’s more than just personal. During that period, entire populations were grappling with a world in change – the struggle for individualism against the pressure to bend to the will of the government.

Despite the novel's historical ties, the themes are still timeless and personal. We’ve all felt the burden of a decision, questioned the depth of a relationship, and tried to find meaning in an often ephemeral world.

This Blink will take you through this powerful tale, exploring the main plot points and discussing the themes brought up along the way. If you’d like a quick recap of the whole story, then jump to the final summary at the end.

And before we get started, ask yourself this: Which is better – lightness, or weight?

Tereza and Tomas: Between lightness and weight

Meet Tomas, a successful surgeon living in Prague. Tomas is known for his numerous affairs and detached emotional life, following the rule of threes: he will either see a girl three times in quick succession, then never again, or he will maintain the relationship but never see his lover more than once every three weeks.

Tomas’s carefree lifestyle is challenged when he meets Tereza, a waitress in a provincial café. After being captivated by Tereza, he invites her to visit him in Prague. Eager to escape her small town and overbearing mother, Tereza accepts. Soon she’s standing at Tomas’s doorstep with her entire life packed into a suitcase.

And so the complex relationship grows. Tomas, though initially resistant, is particularly taken by Tereza. After their first night together, they wake up together holding hands – an intimacy he never normally allows or enjoys. Eventually he breaks his rule of threes, and they move in together. However, Tomas’s infidelity and womanizing remains.

In time, Tereza learns of Tomas’s infidelity after reading letters he sent to a lover – Sabina. Tereza is consumed by jealousy and insecurity, though she doesn’t leave him. Instead, she suffers the pain of his philandering and has intense and violent dreams where she’s pushing pins under her nails, or that she’s one of many unnamed women being shot by Tomas. She still feels a profound bond with Tomas, and struggles to accept him for who he is.

In her attempt to understand him, she meets and becomes friends with the lover, Sabina. Through Sabina, Tereza gets a job as a photographer, capturing pictures of the recently arrived Russian soldiers. Despite this friendship, Tereza’s jealousies remain.

Seeking to reassure Tereza, Tomas marries her. He doesn’t give up his infidelity, but he finds that he doesn’t enjoy it as much. Together, they get a dog; although it’s male, they name it Karenin, after the Russian princess in the Tolstoy book that Tereza is reading. The dog takes an immediate liking to Tereza.

Finally, amid the increasing dangers of the political turmoil, Tereza and Tomas flee to Switzerland – and a new chapter in their life.

ANALYSIS

Through the characters of Tereza and Tomas, we’re introduced to the central theme of the novel: the tension between lightness and weight. Here, Tomas represents “lightness” – his detached view of love, his determination to not be tied down. He even has a child from a previous marriage, but he’s content with the distance that has grown between them. Both emotionally and physically, Tomas seems adrift on the breeze.

Tereza, on the other hand, is the embodiment of weight. Her love and her emotions weigh on her. When she arrives in Prague to visit Tomas, she brings her entire life in a suitcase – you can imagine the literal and physical weight of that case.

The way their relationship develops shows the conflicting nature of those two opposite yet complementary concepts, and raises questions about the very nature of love. Is it freeing or binding? And can these different attitudes ever be reconciled?

As Tereza tries to find her own sense of control and identity, she turns to photojournalism – ironically at the suggestion of Tomas’s main lover, Sabina. This profession represents her own type of freedom, and ties the story to the political conflict of the time. 

Following the so-called Prague Spring – a period where the Soviet Union tightened its oppressive grip on Czechoslovakia – Tereza’s pictures of the tanks and soldiers give her life a sense of excitement and danger. This danger ultimately becomes too much, and the couple flees to the Western-aligned Switzerland.

Sabina and Franz: Of freedom and idealism

A key character throughout the story is Sabina – Tomas’s most consistent lover. Sabina is a free-spirited painter with an intricate relationship to the concept of kitsch. From sentimental art to totalitarian regimes, Sabina holds a strong disdain for anything tacky or garish. This is a strong part of her carefree and rebellious nature.

Her nature is ultimately uncomfortable under the oppressive Soviet regime, so she too flees to Switzerland. There, she starts a relationship with Franz – an idealistic though somewhat naive professor. At the time, Franz is in an empty and unfulfilling marriage with a woman named Marie-Claude. When Sabina enters his life, it’s a moment of passionate awakening; Franz becomes deeply infatuated with her. He views their relationship as a profound love story, convinced that they share a deep, spiritual bond.

There’s a significant imbalance in Sabina and Franz’s affair, similar to that of Tomas and Tereza. While Franz is looking for depth and commitment, Sabina remains detached and emotionally distant, resulting in a relationship characterized by misunderstandings. Through their relationship, Franz experiences a world of erotic freedom – including Sabina’s fondness for wearing a particular bowler hat during intimate moments.

In contrast to Tereza and Tomas, who eventually find their way back to Prague, Franz and Sabina keep moving. Sabina lives a self-imposed exile – first moving to Paris, then the United States – unwilling or unable to settle down. Franz, on the other hand, follows his ideals to Thailand to protest the unfair political treatment of Cambodia.

In the end, Franz suffers a tragic fate. Upon his return from Cambodia, he is brutally mugged and sustains severe injuries. In a state of semi-consciousness he calls out for Sabina, but the only person by his side during his last moments is his wife, Marie-Claude. He dies all but alone, painfully aware of his life choices.

ANALYSIS

An important part of the story is the concept of kitsch, which is explored through the character of Sabina. She sees it as a mask that’s hiding the ugly reality, especially under the oppressive communist rule, and is particularly repelled by its fake cheerfulness and propaganda. To her, kitsch is a denial of the uncomfortable aspects of human existence, offering a palatable and simplified version of life. While this is acceptable in private life, it stifles individuality and demands conformity once it reaches the political realm – one of the main reasons Sabina decides to flee the Communist regime.

Franz and Sabina also retouch on the theme of lightness and weight. However, while Tereza’s representation was an emotional weight, Franz’s weight is of an idealistic nature. His infatuation with Sabina offers a view into his quest for deeper meaning – a way out of the mundane and conventional. Franz is weighed down by his ideals, his romanticized perceptions, and the societal norms he has adhered to for so long. Sabina's entrance into his life represents the allure of “lightness,” the detachment from conventional morality, and the possibility of freedom. However, as with Tomas and Tereza, the dynamics between Franz and Sabina are imbalanced.

Sabina’s understanding of “lightness” is far more nuanced than that of Tomas. For her, lightness is not just about detachment or fleeting relationships; it's a philosophy of life. Her disdain for kitsch, her art, her transient lifestyle – they all embody her rejection of societal conventions, and thus the inherent weight they carry. The bowler hat she often wears, originally her grandfather’s, becomes symbolic of her personal history and her essence of being. To Franz, the hat and Sabina’s other quirks are all part of the allure – the enigmatic nature of a woman he never truly understands.

This dichotomy between Sabina and Franz further emphasizes the novel’s exploration of lightness and weight, showing that even within the same thematic framework, different characters can represent varied interpretations.

Prague Spring: Politics and fate

As the characters become intricately and intimately entwined in each other’s lives, so too do they get pulled into the momentous historical events sweeping Czechoslovakia. Tomas, a respected surgeon, pens a satirical article drawing parallels between the Oedipus complex and the Communist regime. Although veiled in psychoanalytic theory, Tomas's critique doesn’t go unnoticed by the establishment. The consequence of his audacity is swift and severe: he is demoted from his esteemed position as a surgeon and reduced to a window washer. This is the regime's way of ensuring that intellectuals who dare to voice dissent feel the repercussions of their defiance.

Tereza, in her own way, also becomes an emblem of resistance against Soviet domination. Her photography captures candid moments of the invasion. These images, raw and unstaged, quickly morph into powerful symbols of defiance against Soviet suppression. Unintentionally, Tereza becomes part of the resistance – and inadvertently paints a target on both her and Tomas's backs.

Early on in the narrative, Tomas grapples with the phrase Es muss sein! or “It must be!” Based on the motif to Beethoven’s last quartet, this phrase encapsulates Tomas's internal turmoil with predestination and free will. Presented with the choice of retracting his politically charged article or suffering the severe consequences, Tomas chooses the latter – reaffirming his belief in the unavoidable nature of certain actions.

Amid this political whirlwind, Sabina chooses self-imposed exile. Her departure from Czechoslovakia is a conscious attempt to evade the suffocating clutches of political oppression. As she settles in foreign lands, she often ruminates on the heavy baggage of her homeland's tumultuous history, its series of tragedies, and her deliberate detachment from it all.

Seeking respite from the intensifying political scrutiny in Prague, Tomas and Tereza eventually relocate to the countryside. This is a quest for tranquility, a desperate bid to escape the ever-tightening noose of political repression in the capital. However, this move, while geographically distancing them from Prague, does little to shield them from the omnipresent political shadows. Even in the countryside, they can’t escape the heavy weight of politics.

ANALYSIS

In the story, there’s a constant exchange between the personal and the political. By masterfully weaving the intimate lives of his characters into the vast tapestry of historical events like the 1968 Prague Spring, Kundera highlights a stark reality: under the shadow of oppressive regimes, the political ultimately permeates the personal. Every decision, every choice – whether active or passive – is colored, influenced, and sometimes even dictated by the political topography. This challenges conventional notions of individual agency. Can you truly possess autonomy in your choices when you’re incessantly nudged, or at times shoved, by the political machinery?

Here again, the novel’s thematic dichotomy is at play, this time in terms of historical weight and individual lightness. As mentioned, characters like Sabina seek lightness, attempting to unshackle themselves from the burdens of their homeland's past. Meanwhile, Tomas's actions, though seemingly light, are often fraught with the weight of consequence. Through this, the narrative underscores the inescapability of history and politics. The events of the Prague Spring aren't mere backdrops. They are looming entities – constant reminders of the formidable external forces that continually mold individual destinies.

The novel further delves deep into themes of decision, destiny, and resistance. Tomas's confrontation with Es muss sein! represents his struggle with fate, the weight of decisions, and the nature of resistance in a climate that's electric with political tension. Similarly, Tereza's foray into photography illustrates the consequences of standing one's ground in defiance of oppressive powers.

So where does all this end? In the final section, we’ll explore the culmination of these interplays in the ultimate destinies of Tereza and Tomas.

Choices and consequences: The inevitability of life

In the countryside, Tomas and Tereza attempt to create a new life for themselves, far from the political unrest and personal entanglements of Prague. They immerse themselves in their rural routines: tending to the animals, gardening, and spending more time together. They appreciate the simplicity and the slower pace – but this feeling soon turns into one of sadness and finality as they feel cut off from the rest of the world.

There are three key events that take place during their time in the countryside. First, their dog, Karenin, develops cancer. Despite Tomas’s best surgical efforts, the dog must be euthanized; they bury him under an apple tree.

Another development is that Tomas starts receiving letters. Initially, Tereza is worried that they are from an old lover. But it’s eventually revealed that Tomas has been in touch with Simon, his son from another marriage. It turns out Simon has been watching his father from afar, and has tried to stay in touch. Tereza encourages them to meet – and anxiously, they do.

The final event occurs some time later. Tragically, Tereza and Tomas are killed in a car accident. Simon hears about this from a telegram, and sets off to arrange their funeral. On his father’s tombstone, Simon engraves the words “HE WANTED THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH.”

Wanting to stay connected in some way, Simon starts writing letters to Sabina, who he knew was his father’s lover. But Sabina is in her self-imposed exile, so the communication is one-sided.

The final part of the book looks back at a time when Tereza and Tomas were dancing with some colleagues. Happily, they retire upstairs. A moth flies out of a lampshade, and the faint sound of violins can be heard from downstairs.

ANALYSIS

As the story comes to an end, the narrator observes that there are four kinds of people in the world. The first two need to be observed by many eyes, either anonymous or known – these are the celebrities, politicians, and socialites of the world. The third group needs to be seen by just one person whom they love – this category would include Tereza and Tomas. The final group needs to be seen by the imaginary eye of someone who is not present. 

We saw this type of person earlier, in the idealistic Franz. And at the end, this archetype shows up again as Tomas’s son, Simon. He lived in his imagined version of Tomas’s eyes as he watched from afar, and this is how he continued to live after his father’s death – sending unanswered letters to Sabina.

The conclusion of Tomas and Tereza's journey stands as a stark testament to life's fragility and unpredictability. Their sudden departure doesn't just signify the end of their story but also serves as a mirror, urging the other characters and readers alike to confront their own mortality, the impermanence of existence, and the life paths they’ve taken.

When you think about it, in one way or another, all the characters are reduced to kitsch: a sentimental word on a tombstone, a touching recollection of two lovers dancing. Even Sabina, in her disdain, disappears into a kitsch-like exile. 

So, ask yourself: By whom do you want to be seen? How do you want to be remembered? What will be the final weight of your time here on Earth – will you chase the heaviness of depth and meaning, or the lightness of a fleeting moment?

At the beginning of this Blink, you considered what was better – lightness or weight. Taking into account the stories and fates of Tereza, Tomas, and the rest, do you still feel the same way?

Final summary

Tomas, a renowned surgeon in Prague known for his numerous affairs, encounters Tereza, a provincial café waitress, and is unexpectedly drawn to her. She moves to Prague and they begin living together, with Tomas continuing his affairs – especially with Sabina, a free-spirited painter. 

Tereza, battling jealousy and insecurity, befriends Sabina, and through her discovers a passion for photography. Amid the political upheaval of the 1968 Prague Spring, Tereza's photographs of the Soviet invasion become symbols of defiance. Tomas pens a satirical article indirectly criticizing the Communist regime, leading to his demotion from surgeon to window washer due to the article's political implications.

Sabina, feeling constrained by the political climate, relocates first to Switzerland – where she starts a relationship with a professor named Franz – and then to other countries, seeking freedom. 

Meanwhile, Tomas and Tereza, searching for solace, retreat to the countryside, where they briefly reunite with Tomas’s son from another marriage. Their tranquil existence is cut short by a car crash, leading to their tragic end. Sabina, learning of their deaths, confronts the weight of her own existence and the fleeting nature of relationships.