Humbert Humbert, of Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, uses language as a barrier to disguise what is actually happening in the novel. The language Nabokov uses to open the novel as Humbert speaks foreshadows unusual events that will occur, or have occurred, in the novel. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury . . . Look at this tangle of thorns" (Nabokov 9). Without any other knowledge of the book, the reader can detect something will happen that will confuse the reader.
Although Humbert openly admits to his bad behavior, he is still able to cover up the fact that he has done wrong in the first place due to his word choice. Had this feature of language been included, the crimes Humbert has committed would be more obvious. So instead the reader feels bad for Humbert upon hearing of his mother's death while he was a child.
When Humbert talks about getting erections from the young women he meets, he coats it so that the reader pictures the happening to be romantic. "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins" (Nabokov 9). The way Humbert dresses up the words by hiding what is happening on the surface, gives the quote a romantic feel to what is occurring. When Humbert talks about the first time he and Annabel try to have sex, he says, "Her legs, her lovely live legs, were not too close together, and when my hand located what it sought, a dreamy and eerie expression, half-please, half-pain, came over those childish features" (Nabokov 14). Humbert is able to make the scene sound like an enchanting affair.
I agree with you Cassie. Vladimir Nabokov chose a style of writing which makes the reading difficult. One has to pay attention to the words and has to distinguish if a sentence has another meaning. It is easy to overlook what Nabokov is describing in his writing. He is able to say something without actually writing it. Nabokov has the reader thinking if what he is writing is what he truly means. For one person, a sentence may not have meaning; however, another person may interpret the sentence differently. Reading Lolita requires time and effort. It is not a book a person can read without thought and creativity.
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