Unbearable Lightness Analysis

Love is the truth, and the truth should never be concealed. This theme is prevalent in the memoir Unbearable Lightness, written by Portia Del Rossi, and directly relates to the song “She Keeps me Warm” composed by Mary Lambert. In the novel, Rossi denies her sexuality and, instead, marries a man in an attempt to obscure her attraction towards women. In contrast, the song centralizes on the idea that sexual preference is all but a choice. One can not select their sexuality, nor can they change it. In regards to this, the theme exhibited in the memoir Unbearable Lightness correlates to that of the song “She Keeps me Warm.” To begin, Portia Del Rossi struggled to accept the fact that she was a lesbian for a majority of her life. During this time, she was married to a straight male in order to convince herself that she was straight. She remained in this relationship thriving upon self-denial for many years until all changes when he left her. Rossi recalls,

Alike to Rossi’s memoir, Lambert’s piece idealizes the fact that one should never endure the tribulation of having to hide their sexuality from themselves or the world around them. In light of this, Lambert writes, “I can’t change, even if I tried, even if I wanted to” (Lambert). By including this line into her piece, Lambert exemplifies the theme by stating that she “can’t change” who she is, she can only accept who she is. This relates back the text in regards the universal idea presented across both texts that love should not be obscured by what society unrighteously deems acceptable. In both pieces, the woman must learn that they have the right to embrace their sexuality rather than neglect it. In conclusion, the underlying themes of both the memoir Unbearable Lightness and the song “She Keeps me Warm” epitomize the concept that one should never have to suppress their true feelings in