Chapter 3, Part 2, Page 84 - Words Misunderstood, Close Reading

‘The bowler hat was a motif in the musical composition that was Sabina’s life. It returned again and again, each time with a different meaning, and all the meanings flowed through the bowler hat like water through a riverbed.’

Describe the characteristics of the metaphors in passage

Bowler hat and Musical Composition as Metaphors

A musical composition consists of several motifs, each progress from the next, yet they come together harmonically. By extension, Kundera links this to the bowler hat. It is a prop used by Kundera as a metaphor for eternal return. For Sabina, there are different meanings associated with this hat, yet they are linked together like a ‘harmony.’ 

The bowler hat acts as an example of a motif in the music, and therefore the life of Sabina. The bowler hat, in itself carries five different meanings to Sabina – ‘a vague reminder of a forgotten grandfather’, ‘a memento of his father,’ ‘a prop for her love games with Tomas,’ ‘a sign of her originality which she consciously cultivated,’ and lastly ‘a sentimental object. Due to the progression of time, the subjective perceptions of this prop for Sabina differ.

How do these metaphors assist the author, as he explores his thematic concerns?

What is existence like, what is it to ‘be’?

Kundera uses these metaphors to aid his exploration of human existence. The course of the lives of an individual is like a musical composition. The heavy metaphor of music is with repetitions, yet they are modified in different ways enabling the motifs to be similar yet different, changing the ways which the individual will play that particular motif. This suggests eternal return is present in the lives of all humans, that though we only lead one life, events recur, allowing us to gain deeper understandings of us as humans. All the events merge as one and together they have one purpose – a diversity of symbols that enrich us, ‘intertwining our lives into a shared culture,’ yet still keeping us different and unique as individuals.

Words Misunderstood - Part 3, Chapter 3

Subjectivity of the way we see the world as kundera explores the nature of language

Women

Marie-Claude, Franz’s mother and Sabina are all women, yet they are different, they are seen differently in Franz’s eyes. They represent different things. 

Franz value Marie-Claude for her soul, for the ‘woman in [her].’ He worshipped his mother, he believed that she was the ‘Platonic idea of womanhood.’ He feels passionate for Sabina as she is able to satisfy his infidelity.

‘Woman…represented a value’ – the word is subjective to Franz and Sabina, they understand it differently.

‘a low bow’ is a metaphor used to convey Franz’ entrapment by the love of Marie-Claude

Fidelity and Betrayal

For Sabina, fidelity represents being kept captive within a society in which there is no freedom for expression. She detests kitch. The metaphor of artwork is used to portray this. She does not want to paint the repetitive contemporary Communist portraits, one copy like the next. Instead she wants to be different, she does not want to be part of a uniformed group, she wants to have the freedom of expressing her lightness, her unfaithfulness. Sabina’s betrayal takes her away from her original purpose, it puts her life out of perspective and therefore she feels the need to betray her initial betrayal even further. Communism is simply another ‘father’ whom she longs to betray, it is the uniformity of the people and the restriction of her freedom that she loathes. She finds a life without privacy is a life that lacks meaning. Her attitude towards infidelity is an act against kitsch. Sabina’s life is a continuum of betrayal, of her family, the art school, her country and her lovers.

For Franz on the other hand, he feels betrayal is something that is associated with ‘breaking ranks’ and experiencing the unknown. He does not desire for this, he prefers to stay safe, inside a place where fidelity gives lives unity that keeps everyone indifferent from one another and because of this perception towards kitsch, he attempts to ‘charm’ Sabina by his loyalty to his mother. Fidelity is the virtue that enables Franz to feel safe, to keep within his narrow range of values. Yet, this is paradoxical as he cheats on his wife simply because he feels a lack of meaning in his marriage – kitsch is enforced on him.

A clash in perception is thereby created by Kundera.

Music

Sabina do not perceive music the same way as Franz does, she sees music as something that penetrates the privacy of people, diminishing them. Music is just like the Secret Police, constantly surveilling its people, there is no privacy and because of this, there becomes no beauty found in human existence. The repetition found in pop music is like kitsch, Sabina dislikes this, she find it to be too repetitive and as the music repeats, it will get ‘louder and louder’ simply because ‘people are going deaf.’ This metaphor suggests that in a society when everything repeats itself, where there is eternal return, all things will gradually lose their values as people become immune to the concepts imposed by the communist government. There is no uniqueness that exist in repetition, everything becomes the same, becomes the same kind of ugliness, the same process that diminishes the individuality that exist in humanity. Sabina thinks of the days when ‘music [is] like rose blooming on a boundless snow-covered plain of silence.’ Kundera uses a simile to demonstrate Sabina’s love for the unlimited, the wild, boundless places beyond her reach, perhaps, this is the reason for her infidelity, she does not want to be tied down by one man, she wants to experience all men, all things that gives them individuality. This contrasts with Tomas who treats his mistresses all the same, like copies, one after the next.

Franz enjoys music, it provides him with a sense of ‘intoxication.’ He sees it as a way to allow his soul to ‘step out into the world to make friends’, almost  like Tereza who uses books to liberate her soul. Like Tereza, he is used by Kundera as a heavy character. Music is his passion, a passion that allows him to live a life in which his soul is buried deep inside his body. Unlike Tereza, he does not let this get in the way, he attempts to block these circumstances out through music and through his infidel ways. As Sabina places influence on Franz, he begins to realise that music can produce noise, the type of noise that ‘drowns out words,’ discarding the necessity of language. Language is no longer precise in the description of human existence, its subjectivity results in meanings of words to be distorted, ‘their content [to be] lost,’ they simply turn into a minute insignificant part of an individual. Here, Franz comes to realisation that words can have different meanings, that human perceptions vary. Though ‘vaguely,’ he understands this, he is unable to accept this because in accepting this idea of being, he feels as though he has lost control of his life. 

‘Music [is] the negation’ of language.

Light and Darkness

There is a paradox, in terms of light and darkness, Sabina seems to be the one who values borders and ‘[distastes]…all extremism;’ however for Franz, he values infinity, a pleasure ‘without end, without borders.’

(Previously in Fidelity and Betrayal & Music, Sabina detests limitation of freedom of all kinds, this suggests her dislike for all borders imposed by a communist government. Whereas Franz believes in loyalty, he does not want to ‘break the [ranks],’ the boundaries that prevents the development of his infidelity.)

Sabina believes in lightness because she is able to see it. She does not value darkness, she sees darkness as something frightening, something that is beyond her control, it is a ‘refusal to see’ and confront the external conditions, the fears one may possess. Sabina is much different to Tereza, she does not realise the importance of a soul, instead she focus on the concept of the body, a body that ‘diminishes’ as Franz engages with the darkness is the body of a ‘wreck of a man.’

On the other hand, Franz sees beauty in darkness. This longing for darkness almost provokes the image of Tereza standing in front of the mirror desperately finding her soul, similarly, Kundera may be suggesting that in this darkness, Franz’s soul is able to ‘[grow] in his own inner darkness [and] the more his outer form diminishes.’ He does not feel ‘light’ is beautiful, it is merely something that he is used to, the ‘sun of righteousness…of the intellect’ – everything he is usually associated with. He longs for something deeper, for infinity, for the extremes of human existence.

Light is concrete while darkness is abstract.

The loss of self - links with We

The idea of a loss of self is significant in the novel We. Inside the One State, there is no ‘I,’ only ‘We.’ This simply suggests that the collective overpowers the individual, that together they have rights, but individually, they have duties to fulfil. At the exact same hour, they ‘uni-millionly start to work and uni-millionly stop work.’ The emphasis on the word ‘uni-millionly’ through repetition portrays the One State as an extreme totalitarian state. Initially, D-503, the protagonist has been brain washed to such an extent that he believe only in the One State. He does not question his placing amongst the mass group of ciphers; he simply obeys the laws of the One State. D-503 does not understand how life can possibly be different from the mechanically perfect world within the One State without the people working together ‘like the levers of one enormous machine.’ The people of the One State is like to a machine, this shows that they have been mechanised and mathematicised, there is no allowance for individuality and freedom of thought. However this changes after the encounter of I-330 by D-503. He gradually awakens to his inner self and like Tereza, he struggles as he tries to finds his soul.

The concept of a concentration camp is once again found in this novel. The ciphers walk in groups of fours, follow their predetermined tasks according to the Table of Hours, attend ‘prescribed courses’ on arts and music to engage them in the philosophy of the One State. A concentration camp is mostly associated with dictatorship. In this novel, this deems to be true. The Benefactor act as a God-like figure in the One State who seems to transcend above everyone else, the Guardians – a small group of highly regarded people also possess power above all ciphers. The ciphers are alike, internally and externally. They have to wear ‘unifs,’ otherwise called as ‘a whole lie of clothing’ by D-503 later in the novel is devised by the One State to disguise the differences that exist in the bodies of all ciphers, to ensure that all bodies are same (linkage to Tereza, all women are copies). By doing this, the government is able to reduce the chances of them questioning the One State. 

Surveillance is an important feature in the One State in enabling the government to closely monitor and therefore control its people. The ‘same, shatterproof, everlasting glass’ in the One State act as a method that demeans the ciphers of the rights to have privacy, it is a metaphor used to convey the continuous surveillance of the government into the people’s lives. Letters also must go through a process of being checked and monitored before reaching the recipient. There are street diaphragms that record conversations of the ciphers on the sidewalk. The Guardians act as Secret Police, closely working with the Benefactor to maintain the naivety of the population and to make sure they work within the boundaries set by the Benefactor in the One State.

Chapter 4 - Soul and Body

The loss of self through the notion of 'concentration camp' and surveillance

In the Unbearable Lightness of Being, the people are stripped of their individuality due to the Russian invasion in Czechoslovakia. People are expected to live as a Russian would, thereby rid these people of their individual identity. Tereza’s family is a microcosm of such situation, her mother attempts to seek vengeance by humiliating her. Her mother continuously speaks of the human bodies being exact same copies, that there should no embarrassment, mystery or secrecy around this subject. Tereza detests her mother’s mindset of ‘[forcing] the whole world to look’ at ‘one’s ruins, one’s ugliness’ and ‘[parading] one’s misery. In allowing her to do this, Tereza feels that she has been robbed of her privacy, her individuality and most importantly, her soul. 

The notion of concentration camp is used as a representation of a loss of self, where people live ‘crammed together constantly,’ it is a world of ‘brutality and violence,’ a world that obliterates privacy. The normalisation of this concept of concentration camp in Tereza’s life suggests that her soul, over many years has been degraded. She has lost her sense of self. She attempts to escape from this concentration camp-like life with the ‘greatest of efforts,’ to discover the uniqueness that lies dormant inside her that can differentiate her from her mother and other women.

The use of surveillance is prominent in this section in maintaining this loss of being, a loss of self. The Czech secret police is deployed as the primary method of surveillance by the Russian government in monitoring the people, particular those who have fled legislation. Conversations are recorded by means of technology, allowing for the sustainment of evidence that preserves history. ‘Trivial remarks,’ whether hyperboles that are of satirical political content or ‘dirty…filthy language’ are targeted so that they Russians can redeploy them as a weapon for blackmailing, to shame those targeted, to emasculate the trust that the community has in them.

Part 2 Chapter 23 Page 63 - close reading

• The first paragraph reflects the idea that if things only happen once, they may as well not happen at all, ‘…but no photographic documentation exists; sooner or later they will therefore be proclaimed as fabrication.’
• ‘Carnival of hate’ – carnivals are usually associated with happiness, yet this is combined with the negative connotation of hate. These contrasting dictions are used to emphasise the hate that exist in humanity.
• The setting reveals the ugly side of humanity, the painful exploration of human existence.
• ‘All previous crimes of the Russian empire has been committed under the cover of a discreet shadow.’
• Preserving history ‘Czech photographers and cameramen were acutely aware that they were the ones who could best do the thing left to do: to preserve the face of violence for the distant future.’
• Photographs serve as a symbol for the preservation of history. It is through the ‘[shots]’ taken by photographers that, the ugly, negative side of humanity can be revealed.
• The passage is told in a first person narrative, resulting for a very detailed description of the setting. This allows the readers to be able to imagine the scene, to almost experience ‘violence,’ the primitive characteristic of the human nature.
• At times of war, politics fail, it is only through the ‘lenses’ of ‘Czech photographers and cameramen’ are the people able to fight against oppression.

The idea of books as a device for escape

For Tereza, books are seen as an 'imaginary escape from reality', this is similar to that of D-503, where he uses his diary to unleash his inner feelings and desires that ultimately led to his realisation of his individuality. Tereza find that books are a 'single weapon' against an unsatisfying world surrounding her whereas D-503 initially writes for the Integral, but ultimately, he  awakens to his own self.

Part 8 Chaper 2 - Soul and Body

The character of Tereza carries the idea of eternal return, she is a ‘continuation of the gesture by which her mother cast off her life,’ she is simply without her mother’s immodesty. 

Section 8 of Soul and Body sums up Tereza’s fears, she longs to be someone completely different from the image of her mother’s as she would become ‘occasionally upset at the sight of her mother’s features in her face.’ 

For Tereza, books act as an ‘imaginary escape’ from reality, they are able to offer her the comfort and the satisfaction away from an ‘unsatisfying’ life. Through her books, she is able to become ‘differentiated … from others.’ Here, Kundera inserts an authorial comment – a dandy’s cane makes him more ‘modern and up to date,’ yet Tereza’s book makes her seem ‘old-fashioned.’ Despite this, they are alike in that they both stand out from a mass amount of bodies. (We – D-503 longs to stand out amongst the mass of ciphers, to discover his soul, oppressed by the One State’s government.)

Her desire to be her own individual results in her love for a man whom she has never met. Tereza falls in love with Tomas simply because ‘neither her mother nor the drunks’ knew. This suggests that she is attempting to be as different as she possibly can from her mother’s image. She longs to find the soul that is buried itself deep inside her body, because only by the emergence of her soul, is she able to discover ‘a body unlike other bodies’ and become ‘lighter.’ (We – D-503’s attraction to I-330)

The meeting of Tereza and Tomas is simply due to chance. It is because of chance that when Tereza first saw Tomas that he is surrounded by all the things that she considers beautiful and satisfying, the books, the music of Beethoven and the cogac.

The first connections...

The idea of a concentration camp serves as a symbol in The Unbearable Lightness of Being. It is used as a representation of soulless bodies, ‘one like the next’; there are no individuality that is able to distinguish them. Tereza detests this; she wants to be one who is different from others. Yet this is not an easy task trying to get her soul to surface.

The concentration camp is a reality in If this is a man, it is an attempt by the Nazis to dehumanise an entire population, to rid them of their soul. For Levi, it becomes a battle with his inner self – to keep his soul in existence as he becomes separated from the world beyond the ‘barbed wire.’

The ‘Green Wall’ and the ‘barbed wire’ are alike in the novels If this is a man and We in that the government are able to closely monitor and govern those within. Through these devices, they are able to exercise and impose control on the people, regardless of whether it is the ciphers or the people imprisoned in Auschwitz.

The idea of eternal return in The Unbearable Lightness of Being has some sort of connection with Zamyatin's belief of continuous revolution in We.