Philosophies of Milan Kundera.docx

Philosophies of Milan Kundera.docx

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PhilosophiesofMilanKundera

PhilosophiesofMilanKundera

Love,death,happiness,sadness,theseareallcommonthemesfoundinoureverydayexistencethroughvarioussituationsandmediums.TheFranco-CzechnovelistMilanKunderaexploreseachofthesethemestogreatdepthsbysustainingadeepspiritualconnectionbetweenhischaractersandthereader.AsreadersweareinvitedtoparticipateandconnectwithKundera’scharactersjustasKunderaoftenplaceshimselfwiththepagesofhisnovelstointeractwithhisowncreations.ThroughoutKundera’snovels,onemajorthemespeaksout:

lifeisnothingmorethanadeparturetoandadeparturefrom.Kunderatakesthisthemeinseveraldifferentdirectionsinhisnovels,ajourneythattouchesontheideaofhumanlifethroughKundera’sphilosophy-drivenapproach.

MilanKunderaisabletowriteinsuchgreatdepthandwithsuchgreatknowledgeaboutthethemesandcharactersineachofhisnovelsbecauseofhisownpersonalexperience.Thegreatestexampleofthepersonalunderstandinghehaswithhischaractersisinhisnovel,Ignorance.Likethetwoémigrésofhisnovel,IrenaandJosef,KunderalefthisnativehomeoftheCzechRepublic,andlikeIrenahemovedtoFrance,wherehehaslivedforthethirtypastyearsorso.Hispersonalexperience,whichgoesintohisnovelsandthedeeperconnectionhehaswithhischaracters,helpstomakethesituationsmorebelievableandrealtohisreaders.Adeeplyinfluencedwriter,Kunderaalsodrawsinspirationfromplacesoutsideofhispersonallife;hecraftshisnovelsaroundtheideasofsuchpeopleastheAustrianwriterRobertMusil,andtheGermanphilosopherFriedrichNietzsche.Musil’smostfamousnovelTheManWithoutQualities,similartosomeofKundera’sworks,examinesasocietalmoralandintellectualdeclineandobservesthementalandspirituallivesofamultitudeofcharacters.NietzscheheavilydiscussedthetheoryofeternalrecurrenceanddasschwersteGewichtorthe“heaviestweight”,themainthemeofTheUnbearableLightnessofBeing.ThecombinationoftheinfluencesofhisoutsidesourcesandtheinfluencesofhisownlifeaddtothegreatdepthofKundera’sthemes.

NovelsIgnorance

Analmostimpenetrablebondistheonecreatedbetweenapersonandhisorherhomeland.Kunderaconsidersthedeep,sometimesunrealized,connectionallhumanshavewiththelandoftheirbirth,andoftenwiththeirneedtoseparatethemselvesfromtheirpastsinthenovelIgnorance.WithinthefirstfortypagesofIgnorance,Kunderaalreadybeginsadeepanalysisoftheconnectionbetweenpersonandhomeland.Irena,anativeofPrague,isadvisedbyherfriendSylvietoreturntoherhometown.AlthoughIrenadoesnotliketheideaofleavinghernewhomeandnewlifeinFrance,shecannothelpbutromanticizetheideaofa“GreatReturn”toPrague:

“Shedroppedherresistance:

shewascaptivatedbyimagessuddenlywellingupfrombooksreadlongago,fromfilms,fromherownmemory,andmaybefromherancestralmemory:

thelostsonhomeagainwithhisagedmother;themanreturningtohisbelovedfromwhomcrueldestinyhadtornhimaway;thefamilyhomesteadweallcarrywithinus;therediscoveredtrailstillmarkedbytheforgottenfootprintsofchildhood;Odysseussightinghisislandafteryearsofwandering;thereturn,thereturn,thegreatmagicofthereturn”（4）.

Inthispassage,Irenaisstruckbyoneofthemostprimalofhumanneeds,toreturntoherroots.ThisalmostinstinctualdesireisbestcharacterizedthroughtheepicstoryoftheOdyssey.Kundera’scomparisonofIrenatoOdysseusshowshisintenttoprovetothereaderthateveryhumanhasasimilarinternalstrugglewithbelonging.

Kundera’scomparisonalsoforeshadowsthefactthatlikeOdysseus,Irenawillfindshenolongerrelatestoheroldlifeinthehomeland.Weseethiswhenlateroninthenovel,KunderaagainreferencesthestoryofOdysseus:

“Fortwentyyearshehadthoughtaboutnothingbuthisreturn.Butoncehewasback,hewasamazedtorealizethathislife,theveryessenceofhislife,itscenter,itstreasure,layoutsideIthaca,inthetwentyyearsofhiswanderings.Andthistreasurehehadlost,andcouldretrieveonlybytellingaboutit”（34）.

Irena’sfeelingsdirectlyreflectthesamedisappointmentsofOdysseus.ShereturnstoPraguehopingtobereunitedwiththehappymemoriesofherpastlifethere,butinsteadisconfrontedwiththefactthatsheistoochangedapersontofindherplaceamongstatoounchangedofacity.ThepeopleofPraguearehappytowelcomeIrenaback,butaren’twillingtoacceptthenewpersonshehasbecome,awomanofindependenceandmaturitywhoembracesthenewandappearstoscorntheold.Inmanyways,itseemsasifPraguehasgivenIrenaanultimatum,wewilltakeyoubackonlyifyoucontinuethelifeyouleftbehindtwentyyearsago.

NeveristhereatimewhenIrenafeelsmoreout-of-placeandmisunderstoodthanthereunionsheplanswithherformerfriends.Thepointofthesmallpartyistoseehowshewillbetreatedaftersomanyyearsaway:

“Andthatwasexactlyhergamble:

thatthey’dacceptherasthepersonsheisnow,comingback.Shelefthereasanaïveyoungwoman,andshehascomebackmature,withalifebehindher,adifficultlifethatshe’sproudof.Shemeanstodoallshecantogetthemtoacceptherwithherexperiencesofthepasttwentyyears,withherconvictions,herideas,it’llbedoubleornothing:

eithershesucceedsinbeingamongthemasthepersonshehasbecome,orelseshewon’tstay”（37）.

WhilethewomendonotopenlyrejectthenewIrena,theydon’taccepthereither.FarmoreimportanttothemthanIrena’sremarksonhernewlifearetheconcernsoftheirownworld.TheyaskquestionsofIrenanottoshowinterestinwhatshemighthavetosay,buttorecallpasttimestogether,evokememories,inessence“stitchheroldpastontoherpresentlife”（43）.Irenadoesn’tseehowherpastandherpresentfittogetherinanywayandishorrifiedatthethoughtthatifshewouldliketobereadmittedintoheroldcircleoffriends,shehastocompletelysetfiretoherlasttwentyyearsspentinFrance.

Irenafeelsaloneinherdislocationbetweentwoworlds,butdoesacknowledgetheideaofthecollectivesouloftheémigré:

“onethingwascertain:

onanygivenight,thousandsofémigréswerealldreamingthesamedreaminnumberlessvariants.Theemigration-dream…”（16）.Kunderaintroducesthethoughtthatallémigréshavetiestotheirpastandhavecontinuousdreamsconcerningtheirpastnomatterhowmanyyearspassby.Irenahasthesedreamsbothduringthedayandatnight.Therangeofemotionssheexperiencesduetothedreamsisconfusingtoher.InIrena’sopinion,onecannotfeelbothhappinessandextremehorroratonce.AccordingtoKundera,theconflictingsymptomsIrenaisexperiencingareonlynaturalforonewhohasleftherhomeland.ThroughthestoryofIrena,thenovelIgnorancecomestooneofmanyconclusions:

leavingone’sbirthplacewillalwayscreateanirreparablesenseofdisplacement.

TheUnbearableLightnessofBeing

WithinTheUnbearableLightnessofBeing,Kunderagivesvoicetothelightnessandheavinessofhumanexistence,humanity’snaturaltendencytowardscompassion,andmostimportantly,tooneofhumankind’smostbasiccharacteristics,theabilitytolongforsomethingofthepast,present,orfuture.Asawayofsettingupthenovelforwhatwillfollow,KunderabeginsTheUnbearableLightnessofBeingwithadescriptionofthemythofeternalreturnwhichstates,"thatalifewhichdisappearsonceandforall,whichdoesnotreturn,islikeashadow,withoutweight,deadinadvance,andwhetheritwashorrible,beautiful,orsublime,itshorror,sublimity,andbeautymeannothing”（3）.Sincethisisadepressingoutlookonhumanexistence,Kunderamovesfromthisfirstthoughtintoanotheridea:

“Ifeternalreturnistheheaviestofburdens,thenourlivescanstandoutagainstitinalltheirsplendidlightness”（5）.Finally,headdressesthereaderwithaquestion:

'Butisheavinesstrulydeplorableandlightnesssplendid?

'”（5）Thisisthekeytothecoreofthenovel:

humanexistenceislittlemorethanthebalancebetweenwhatisheavyandwhatislight.AccordingtoKundera’sphilosophy,whatweashumansdecidetodowiththetimeallottedusshouldbeinheaviness,alifeofsubstance,spirituality,knowledge,maturity,andpurpose.Choosingalifeofheavinessisthelonger,harderroad,butbychoosingheaviness,ourliveswillmeansomething,whichwillultimatelyupliftusfromtheoverallheavyburdenoflifeintoastateoflightness.Kunderaaddsthatbylivinglifewithvalueandcompassion,notonlydoweraiseourselvesintoapositionoflightness,butwearealsoabletoeasetheheavinessofothers’existences.

TheprofoundideasofeternalreturnmakefortheperfectopeningintotheworldofKundera’scharacters.Infact,theverytitleofthenovelisanintroductiontothebeliefsystemsoftwoofKundera’smaincharacters,TerezaandTomas.Tomasisthecharacterwhofeelsthecurseoftheunbearablelightnessofbeingthemost.Bymakingthechoicetobeanunstoppablewomanizer,inhisownmind,Tomasfeelsheliveslifewithnoties,lightasafeather,untilhemeetsTereza.TerezamakesTomasquestionaspectsofhislifehe’susedtocompletelydisregarding,suchaslove:

“Butwasitlove?

Thefeelingofwantingtodiebesideherwasclearlyexaggerated:

hehadseenheronlyoncebeforeinhislife!

Wasitsimplythehysteriaofamanwho,awaredeepdownofhisinaptitudeforlove,felttheself-deludingneedtosimulateit?

Hisunconsciouswassocowardlythatthebestpartneritcouldchooseforitslittlecomedywasthismiserablep