Friedrich Nietzsche’s theory of eternal return intertwined with character development in the novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being to support the premise that acquiring meaning and metaphorical weight throughout human life is ineluctable

Published in 1984 by Czech author Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a postmodern novel that sheds light on the day-to-day struggles of the Czech society in the context of the Prague Spring of June 1968 and the Soviet invasion of the country that followed in August. The novel pivots on the life of Tomas, a stellar Prague surgeon and womanizer whose fate interweaves with that of central characters Tereza, Sabina, and Franz. As the story unfolds, Milan Kundera recurrently alludes to Friedrich Niezsche’s theory of eternal return – the idea that "every event in the universe, in all its details and in its whole cosmic context, will recur an infinite number of times in exactly the same way" – to philosophize about the metaphorical lightness of human existence, and analyze the implications that Nietzsche’s theory would have in human life if it were real. This essay will examine how Milan Kundera relates Friedrich Nietzsche's theory of eternal return with character development to support his premise that acquiring meaning and metaphorical weight in human life is ineluctable.

Milan Kundera starts the novel by introducing the reader to the theory of eternal return. The Czech author indicates that, in the world of eternal return, “the weight of unbearable responsibility lies heavy on every move we make”, as each event that happened once will repeat itself in the exact same way ad infinitum. It is for that reason, Kundera notes, that Friedrich Nietzsche regarded the idea of eternal return as the “heaviest of burdens”. Nevertheless, Kundera recurrently denies the existence of eternal return in mankind throughout the novel. For instance, he repeatedly remarks that human indecisiveness is natural, as it is impossible to ever be certain about what to want since, “living only one life, we can neither compare it with our previous lives nor perfect it in our lives to come”. Kundera affirms that the non-existence of eternal return in mankind renders human existence meaningless, which is why human life stands out by its “splendid lightness”. This essay will explore how and to what effect Milan Kundera intertwines Friedrich Nietzsche’s theory of eternal return with character development to argue that, in spite of his assertion that human existence is “lighter than air” and therefore meaningless, it is impossible for humans to totally elude meaning and metaphorical weight.

At the beginning of the novel, Kundera depicts Tomas as metaphorically light by alluding to his constant desire to evade burdens and responsibilities. For example, whenever the Prague surgeon sleeps with one of his mistresses, he always attempts to separate sex from love in order to avoid any type of commitment or emotions in his relationships. Moreover, the fact that Tomas chooses to abandon his son Simon shortly after divorcing his wife further illustrates his conspicuous proclivity for lightness, as he renounces the burdensome responsibility of fatherhood. Kundera synthesizes Tomas’s light character by suggesting that it mirrors the German adage Einmal Ist Keinmal – translated to what happens but once might as well not have happened at all. This adage reflects Tomas’s philosophy of life: one should pursue and embrace lightness since, living only one life that does not recur, “we might as well not have lived at all”. Nevertheless, in spite of his penchant for eluding responsibilities and meaningful relationships, the Prague surgeon notices that he has gained metaphorical weight in his coincidental relationship with Tereza, a woman he met in a small Czech town where they “spent scarcely an hour together”. Some time after they met, Tereza decided to visit Tomas to his flat in Prague and unexpectedly came down with the flu. This serendipity led Tereza to stay at Tomas’s flat for a week, and thus, unintendedly add metaphorical weight to their relationship. Moreover, the fact that Tomas recurrently deems his relationship with Tereza as “the result of six improbable fortuities” further illustrates the idea that, despite his onerous attempts to elude meaning, he could not avoid gaining metaphorical weight in his relationship with Tereza, which the Czech author portrays as predominantly heavy and meaningful. This metaphorical heaviness is symbolized in the scene where Tomas brings Tereza and her colossal suitcase into his flat, thus implying that the Prague surgeon unintentionally accepts the ponderous responsibility and burden that came along with Tereza into his life. Furthermore, Kundera reflects upon Tomas’s perception of his relationship with Tereza as being based on coincidences to suggest that it is indeed the recurrence of fortuities that makes an event “more significant and noteworthy”. The Czech author indicates that it was repetition, especially the recurrence of coincidences for Tereza and Tomas to meet and build a meaningful relationship, the one that constantly provided heftiness to their initial romance and unpredictably converted it into a commitment and a responsibility of which Tomas’s light character could not escape. In this way, Kundera presents Tomas’s coincidental relationship with Tereza as the epitome of unexpectedly acquiring meaning and metaphorical weight through recurrence, which the author uses to illustrate humans’ inability to evade heaviness and significance in their lives.

Additionally, Kundera bolsters this premise by underscoring the fortuities that unexpectedly provided heaviness to Tomas and Tereza’s existence. For instance, the Czech author emphasizes the similarities between Tomas and his son Simon, as well as those between Tereza and her mother, to suggest that their existence is meaningful, to a certain extent, as some of their aspects will inevitably repeat themselves over time. Moreover, the mishap that Tereza and Tomas were “crushed to death under a truck” ironically implies that even the way in which they died added weight to their existence. The recurrence of these happenstances in their lives, whether trivial or not, is used by the Czech author as a way to resemble the inherence of meaning and metaphorical heaviness in human existence. Furthermore, Kundera exhibits the monotonous routine that Tereza and Tomas developed with their puppy Karenin to illustrate that repetition and recurrence are intrinsic in even the longing for happiness and satisfaction. The Czech author implies that, since their relationship was based on monotony and repetition, Karenin bred happiness in Tomas and Tereza’s lives. This idea can also be seen in part 7, chapter 1, where Tereza and Tomas decide to sell almost everything they own to move to the countryside in an effort to escape from politics and develop a monotonous lifestyle. Kundera argues that longing for monotony is natural and desirable since, as he remarks, “happiness is the longing for repetition”. Thus, the Czech author intertwines one of humanity’s most representative pursuits, the quest for happiness, with recurrence to assert that repetition, which provides meaning and metaphorical weight, is deeply present in mankind.

Ultimately, Kundera connects the character development of Sabina, a Czech painter who was Tomas and Swiss professor Franz’s mistress, with Nietzsche’s theory of eternal return to illustrate her paradoxical inability to evade meaning and metaphorical weight. Kundera portrays Sabina as an overwhelmingly light character who is excited by the idea of betraying people and, as Tomas, embraces a philosophy of life that intends to avoid responsibilities and committed relationships. For this reason, in part 3, chapter 10, she decides to abandon Franz after their relationship as lovers has acquired sufficient weight, thus renouncing all the heaviness she has previously obtained and becoming exceedingly light again, to the extent that she experiences the unbearable lightness of being. Kundera supports his premise by implying that, in spite of her excessive lightness, Sabina could not avoid acquiring meaning and metaphorical weight. For instance, Sabina could not evade the meaning her bowler hat, a seemingly trivial object, added to her life after persistently recurring to her. It “returned again and again”, though each time it would “give rise to a new meaning”. Her bowler hat was, at the same time, a “vague reminder of a forgotten grandfather”, a “memento of her father”, a “prop for her love games with Tomas”, and “a sign of her originality”. Furthermore, the recurring motif of the concept of “beauty by mistake” in Sabina’s life, as observed in her first mature painting that “came into being because some red painting had dripped on it” and in her perception of the beauty of New York, further provides unintended meaning and weight to her existence, as, although seeming frivolous, it constantly recurred to her. Thus, Kundera illustrates that even Sabina, the only character in the novel who suffered from the unbearable lightness of being, was not capable to totally elude meaning and metaphorical weight, which she acquired from the recurrence of seemingly trivial objects or concepts.

In conclusion, Milan Kundera intertwines Friedrich Nietzsche’s theory of eternal return with character development to support his premise that it is impossible for humans to totally evade meaning and metaphorical weight. This can be observed in Tomas’s coincidental relationship with Tereza, the fortuities that unexpectedly provided heaviness to Tomas and Tereza’s life, the pivotal role repetition plays in the pursuit of happiness throughout the novel, and Sabina’s paradoxical inability to totally elude meaning and metaphorical weight.

"Eternal Return." Encyclopedia.com. June 22, 2022. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-m aps/eternal-return.

Kundera, Milan. The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Perennial Library Edition. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1987.

Twa, G.. "The Unbearable Lightness of Being." Encyclopedia Britannica, November 30, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Unbearable-Lightness-of-Being-novel-by-Kun dera.