The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

by

Milan Kundera

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Marie-Claude Character Analysis

Franz’s wife and Marie-Anne’s mother. Marie-Claude owns an art gallery, and she and Franz have a loveless marriage. Franz believes that Marie-Claude is weak, and that she can’t live without him, but this proves untrue after Franz tells her about his affair with Sabina and Marie-Claude kicks him out. Even though Marie-Claude is not in love with Franz, she will not consent to a divorce, a play to power which keeps her in control over him. Franz is assaulted in Bangkok after the Grand March, and Marie-Claude convincingly plays the role of grieving wife, even sitting next to Franz’s bed as he dies. Franz is unable to speak in his final days, and he keeps looking at Marie-Claude, who is certain that his eyes are asking her forgiveness. She forgives Franz and continues the role of the grieving wife at his funeral, where Franz’s girlfriend sits in the back and cries. It is likely that Franz was not seeking Marie-Claude’s forgiveness in his final days and that his stare was more indicative of hate or disgust. Still, Marie-Claude ignores this, as do all the people at Franz’s funeral, who all know that Franz and Marie-Claude’s marriage was over. This willful disregard for the truth is yet another example of kitsch, which Kundera argues cannot be escaped.

Marie-Claude Quotes in The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The The Unbearable Lightness of Being quotes below are all either spoken by Marie-Claude or refer to Marie-Claude. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Time, Happiness, and Eternal Return Theme Icon
).
Part 6, Chapter 29 Quotes

What remains of the dying population of Cambodia?

One large photograph of an American actress holding an Asian child in her arms.

What remains of Tomas?

An inscription reading HE WANTED THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH

What remains of Beethoven?

A frown, an improbably man, and a somber voice intoning “Es muss sein!

What remains of Franz?

An inscription reading A RETURN AFTER LONG WANDERINGS.

And so on and so forth. Before we are forgotten, we will be turned into kitsch. Kitsch is the stopover between being and oblivion.

Related Characters: Tomas, Franz, Simon, Marie-Claude, The American Actress
Page Number: 277-8
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Unbearable Lightness of Being PDF

Marie-Claude Quotes in The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The The Unbearable Lightness of Being quotes below are all either spoken by Marie-Claude or refer to Marie-Claude. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Time, Happiness, and Eternal Return Theme Icon
).
Part 6, Chapter 29 Quotes

What remains of the dying population of Cambodia?

One large photograph of an American actress holding an Asian child in her arms.

What remains of Tomas?

An inscription reading HE WANTED THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH

What remains of Beethoven?

A frown, an improbably man, and a somber voice intoning “Es muss sein!

What remains of Franz?

An inscription reading A RETURN AFTER LONG WANDERINGS.

And so on and so forth. Before we are forgotten, we will be turned into kitsch. Kitsch is the stopover between being and oblivion.

Related Characters: Tomas, Franz, Simon, Marie-Claude, The American Actress
Page Number: 277-8
Explanation and Analysis: