Elevation: A Novel

Elevation’s final chapter, titled “The Incredible Lightness of Being,” hints at a connection to a famous novel of the same name by Czech-born writer Milan Kundera. In The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984), Kundera challenges the idea of eternal recurrence, which influenced—and was influenced by—the philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche. The theory of eternal recurrence states that time repeats itself in an infinite loop, with the same events recurring for eternity. Thus, every individual choice must be made with painstaking care. Nietzsche considered this an enormous burden, yet believed life would be meaningless without it (“The Unbearable Lightness of Being.” SuperSummary).

In The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Kundera attributes weight to the oppressive responsibility of making choices with such enduring consequences. The weight of these choices, and of human existence, also comes from metaphoric baggage like history, tradition, and societal expectations. These are things that can simultaneously give life meaning and create overwhelming sources of suffering. Lightness, then, reflects that which is transient and free from the pressure of eternal consequence. The Unbearable Lightness of Being revolves around this dichotomy and the question of which is preferable, lightness or weight. Ultimately, the novel concludes that lightness—the absence of burden—brings humans the greatest happiness and freedom.