In "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," the protagonist expresses a deep-seated fear of confinement, particularly the idea of being buried in a coffin on American soil. This fear prompts her to draft a will that reflects her desire for freedom in death; she specifies that her body should be cremated and her ashes scattered into the air. Through this act, she seeks to assert her individuality and escape the weight of earthly ties.

The contrast between her wishes and those of Teresa and Thomas Mata, who embrace a more burdensome existence, underscores the theme of lightness versus weight in the narrative. While her choice symbolizes a liberation from life's constraints, it also complies with the philosophical inquiries about existence and the transformation of death from a negative to a positive experience, as suggested by Parminides.