LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Unbearable Lightness of Being, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Time, Happiness, and Eternal Return
Lightness, Weight, and Dichotomies
Sex, Love, and Duality of Body and Soul
Words and Language
Power, Politics, and Inequality
Summary
Analysis
All that remains of the Grand March is a picture of the American actress, and all that remains of Tomas is a tombstone that reads: “HE WANTED THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH.” All that is left of Beethoven is “Es muss sein!” All that is left is kitsch, which, the narrator says, is “the stopover” between being and nonbeing.
The fact that Kundera refers to kitsch as “the stopover” between being and nonbeing implies that no one can escape kitsch, since everyone dies. People are powerless to avoid kitsch, and Kundera thus implies it is pointless to even try.
Active
Themes
Quotes
Cite This Page
Choose citation style:
MLA
Rosewall, Kim. "The Unbearable Lightness of Being Part 6, Chapter 29." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 30 Oct 2019. Web. 29 Mar 2025.
Combining the literary wisdom of LitCharts and the power of AI, I can answer your questions about The Unbearable Lightness of Being or any other title we cover, instantly.