The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

by

Milan Kundera

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The Unbearable Lightness of Being: Part 4, Chapter 13 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
One of the men approaches Tereza to blindfold her, but she stops him and says she would rather watch. She doesn’t really want to watch; she just wants to delay death a bit longer. As the other man turns to her and raises his rifle, Tereza loses her nerve. “But it wasn’t my choice,” she says. He lowers the gun. If she didn’t freely choose, he says, they don’t have any right to kill her.
Kundera later extends the idea behind Tereza’s dream on Petrin Hill to her sexual encounter with the tall stranger. She doesn’t want to be unfaithful to Tomas—it isn’t her choice—yet she feels forced by Tomas. Of course, Tomas isn’t making her do anything, but because of his repeated infidelity, she needs to see once and for all if there can be sex without love.
Themes
Sex, Love, and Duality of Body and Soul Theme Icon