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 18 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Alone in the tall stranger’s bathroom, Tereza sits on the cold porcelain toilet. She feels the urge to empty her bowels and “go to the extreme of humiliation.” She wants to be only a body reduced to its functions. After evacuating her bowels, Tereza feels intensely depressed. 
Here, Tereza’s soul seems to reject her body’s behavior, but Tereza’s trip to the bathroom also reduces her to a mere body and its physiological functions. For Tereza, this is the height of humiliation, as she detests bodies—especially bodily functions.
Themes
Sex, Love, and Duality of Body and Soul Theme Icon