Photography

The use of photography in the novel is interesting to me. Some people say that photographs are objective and simply mirror your surroundings, however I don’t think photography is purely an objective art form.  Photo journalists and artistic photographers all have a message or objective, if you will, when they take a picture. In Tereza’s case, she documented the Russian invasion because that was important to her and she photographed Sabina in the nude probably to satisfy some sexual/emotional need. Photography is an art form because the person behind the camera chooses the subject of the picture and they have to arrange the subjects, time it correctly, consider lighting and so forth. Tereza probably didn’t want to photograph the cacti because they didn’t mean anything to her, she felt she was doing something important with her pictures of the Russian army since she was capturing the anxiety and emotions of the occupiers and the occupied. she was trying to provoke emotions or enlighten the rest of the world that the situation in Czechoslovakia, especially in Prague, had not calmed down. It might be the most realistic portrayal of the world we have but it is not purely objective. 

The Unbearableness of Lightness

Sabina says that the source of her melancholy does not come from the heaviness of a burden, but instead and unbearable lightness of being. While this statement addresses the fact that being light is perhaps an unhealthy lifestyle for Sabina, it also gives insight into the title of the book, which then poses the question: what makes lightness unbearable? Well, my take is that lightness is unbearable because it implies a lifestyle where there is nothing to bear. Lightness is unbearable because there is nothing to bear, because it creates a void in one's life. Lightness hence introduces an individual to his or her despair in a way opposite to heaviness, which ironically, we equivocate with an unbearable burden when in fact that burden is only seemingly unbearable. Seeing it this way, I think living heavy has a few advantages over living light, because at least you can feel the weight of your life and experiences rather than nothing at all. Likewise, this relates very closely to all our discussions of the nihilist and existential components of this novel.

Sabina's Lightness

Throughout the novel, Sabina leads a very light life, however sometimes she tiptoes on the brink of a more heavy one. She has a chance with Franz to really commit to something and become more heavy in her ways. However their misunderstandings lead Sabina to abandon the possibility of their real love. She instead runs away and leaves Franz estranged from his wife and without his lover. Sabina is never willing to make a commitment unless she knows it is right, and she never thinks that it is right. Next, when Teresa and Tomas's son calls Sabina to let her know that they have died, Teresa regrets her decision to leave. She feels that Teresa and Tomas had a perfect life and that she wanted it too. This shows how she is ever on the brink of a heavy life, but that she stays light, never willing to make a commitment.

Laughter in TULB

I feel like there are many instances when laughter has a negative relationship with characters in TLUB, more specifically Teresa. She was always haunted by her mother as she harassed Teresa with her obsession with the body and being naked. Also when she is dreaming about the pool dream the people dancing around the pool are laughing when someone gets shot. Usually we envision laughter in a positive light, but 

 these are two very disturbing examples of the disruption it causes in Teresa's life. There are a few other examples of this in the novel, has anyone noticed any others that I'm missing?

Tomas compared to Sabina

I feel like Tomas and Sabina each learn lessons in ULOB for different reasons.  Tomas at first refuses to be tied down to a single relationship after his divorce.  However, after he meets Teresa he finds it impossible to think about anyone but her and feels what it is like to care for someone in a relationship.  Sabina, however, is considered "light" throughout the entire story.  She does not commit to one person throughout and is known for her affairs with Tomas.  Sabina also at the end of the story gets a chance to tie herself down to one relationship when Franz leaves his wife to be with her.  However, Sabina determines that she cannot commit to one man and simply leaves Franz to continue on her "light" way of life.  Tomas learns that lightness is truly unbearable while Sabina prefers lightness in life.

Words Misunderstood

Part 3 is called Words Misunderstood. It is almost like a dictionary of concepts that cause some sort of miscommunication between Sabina and Franz. I think this is a very progressive/modern way in which Kundera chooses to write.  I believe that this section says that sometimes, through the miscommunications that people have, it allows them to communicate on a different level, in a way. It also might distort the way they view themselves or other people. This ambiguity of language, such as words or sayings that people interpret to mean different things, lead to misunderstandings and arguments between people because they see things interpreted in different ways. It, for example, leads to the break up between Franz and Sabina. Words do not have concrete meaning. In an abstract, ever-changing society, the definitions of words are also abstract and ever-changing.

The Cyclical Aspect of Time

Reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being and talking so much about the repetition of time or its cyclical nature, reminds me a lot of the novel we read over the summer, 100 Years of Solitude. In his novel, Marquez demonstrated a lot of incidences wherein time seemed to repeat itself through many different characters and through the establishment and decline of the Macondo civilization. Nietzsche's "Myth of Eternal Return" or "Myth of Eternal Recurrence of Actions" basically says that history is bound to repeat itself, just like time does in Marquez's novel. This concern with time is seen in TULB and Kundera really investigates the way time can affect a character's lightness or heaviness.