Kundera's 'Unbearable Lightness of Being' analysis: Lightness and Weight

In Milan Kundera's novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being, lightness and weight are two major opposing forces. Kundera believes that neither lightness nor weight is positive and argues that there must be a little bit of both in a character. Throughout the novel, Kundera uses several characters to show how they are not completely happy being either light or heavy. By using this binary he shows that neither part of it is right or wrong. &…

…has meaning. <Tab/>The relationship between Tomas and Tereza compares and contrasts two binary opposites, the lightness of Tomas and the heaviness of Tereza. Through the elaborate use of symbols, different characters, and a realistic story, Milan Kundera shows that neither lightness nor weight is positive and proves that a little bit of both must exist in all people and that life really has no meaning without the presence of heaviness.