Study Guide

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Part 1, Chapter 9

By Milan Kundera

Part 1, Chapter 9

In languages that come from Latin (i.e., the romance languages), the narrator begins, the word "compassion" is formed from the prefix meaning "with" and the word "suffering."
In other languages, like Czech, the main root means "feeling."
According to the romance languages, to love someone out of compassion or pity is a second-rate emotion.
But in the second family of languages, this is not the case. To love someone out of compassion is the greatest kind of love, because it signifies "emotional telepathy."
Had any other women gone through Tomas's letters, as Tereza did, he would have thrown her out.
But Tomas did not throw Tereza out. Instead, he felt the pain of needles under her fingernails that she had felt in her dream.

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