A Comedic Relief

Reading the book is always better than reading the book, as what most people say. After watching parts of the movie in class, it shows how much of a difference writing makes to a reader than the movie to a viewer. In the book, the plot may seem dramatic and abnormal while to some, it is seen as a comedy. The movie seems to portray the story more of a comedy than a tragedy.

Lolita in the movie seems to be played by an older woman than a young twelve year old girl. Personally, I think that the movie is directed in a less serious offense than how the book treats the situation of Humbert Humbert and Lolita. For those who take the plot in a serious way because an older man falls in love with a young girl, the movie acts as a comedic relief to soothe the disturbing feeling from the story.

The background music of the movie is a happy and upbeat song that plays even throughout the worst situations, like Mrs. Haze's death. The way that Humbert Humbert and Lolita acts are hilarious and not taken seriously by the audience. With those two factors, how can the audience take the movie seriously? There are many jokes in the book that are incorporated in the movie which makes it a comedy. This questions my outlook on the novel now.. was it written on a serious or comedic note?

Fake love

While I am reading Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, I realized that this book contains the fake love of people. Some characters in Lolita, such as Humbert Humbert, Dolores Haze, Charlotte Haze and even Jean Farlow show fake love in the story. Humbert Humbert does not love Lolita. He obsesses with her, not love her. Also when he married to Valeria and Dolores Haze, he did not love both of them at all. He married to Valeria to cure himself of his addiction to nymphets, and he married to Charlotte Haze to stay with Lolita. Humbert’s only lover Dolores Haze shows fake love as well. Even though Dolores once loved Humbert, as the novel ends, she becomes a faker. She needs Humbert, not because she loves him, but because she has no one besides him. Charlotte Haze loves Humbert, but in the book, it seems as obsession like Humbert’s obsession toward Lolita. Lastly, Jean Farlow kissed Humbert after the death of Charlotte. She confessed secret love toward Humbert, even though she already married.

Even though Vanity Fair stated that the Lolita is the only convincing love story of our century , throughout the book, it clearly shows the fake love of people. So I doubt that this is the only convincing love story of our century.

Money

Lolita runs away from Humbert. A few years later, she is married and has a husband. She writes to Humbert asking for money. When he visits her, he gives her four thousand dollars. Does Lolita ask for the money because she knows that Humbert will give it to her? It seems so. Since Lolita’s mother died, Lolita does not have anyone else. That is why she was with Humbert for so long. But even if Humbert would give her the money, why would she ask him? Would she not be afraid that he would then come back into her life? She was finally free of him for a few years. Maybe Lolita wants to give Humbert a second chance. Maybe since she was pregnant, she wants Humbert to realize that he should move on. Maybe since she does not have any other family, she wants Humbert to be a part of the baby’s life. Humbert gives Lolita the money because he claims to love her. I do not believe he actually loves her. I believe he loves the idea of her. He spent so much time and energy trying to make their relationship real that it is too hard for him to give up on it. Maybe Humbert gives Lolita the money for another chance at their relationship.

The English Language vs. French

In Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov proves he is a brilliant writer through his playfulness with language. Fluent in English, Russian and French, Nabokov decided to write Lolita in English with some words in French. He chose to write the majority of his novel in English, because he felt the English language had more vocabulary and opportunity to use double entendres. Humbert Humbert tells the reader, “I gave her to hold in her awkward fist the scepter of my passion” (Nabokov 15). Nabokov is referring to Lolita and Humbert Humbert’s sexual interactions with each other. However, Nabokov’s ability to subtract the vulgarity of the action proves his skill with words. Readers may even fail to notice the meaning behind many of Humbert Humbert’s double entendres.

Because French is a romance language, I believe Nabokov chose to write some words in French, because words in French sound more seductive than words in English when read aloud. For instance, Nabokov writes, “Annabel did not come out well, caught as she was in the act of bending over her chocolat glacé” (Nabokov 13). In English, chocolat glacé means chocolate cake. Though the meaning of the words stays the same, these words sound more attractive when spoken in French. I think Nabokov intentionally added French words into his work to create a seductive tone throughout Lolita.

Excuses, Excuses

After reading Lolita, I have come to a conclusion: Humbert Humbert is full of excuses. He acknowledges that his pedophilia is wrong. Rather than accepting his punishment, Humbert Humbert provides a series of excuses for his relationship with Lolita. As the jury, the readers must decide whether his excuses are the truth or the product of his defense. I believe that Humbert Humbert is an unreliable narrator, who uses excuses to defend his pedophilic thoughts and actions.

Humbert Humbert's first excuse is evident with his creation of the word, "nymphet." Nymphet, a fictional word, describes a young girl, who possess sexual appeal and knowledge beyond her years. By identifying Lolita as a nymphet, Humbert Humbert defends his actions. He states, "Frigid gentleman of the jury! ... I am going to tell you something very strange: it was she who seduced me" (Nabokov 132). He claims that Lolita made the first move because she is a nymphet. However, the jury must remember that nymphet is a fictional word, created for Humbert Humbert's excuse.

Furthermore, Humbert Humbert defends his obsession with Lolita. He claims that he loves her. However, I believe that he is using this argruement to excuse his actions. If Humbert Humbert "loves" Lolita, than it is it excusable for him to try to control her. However, I believe that Humbert Humbert controls Lolita because he needs her sexually. In addition, Humbert Humbert uses the excuse that he "loves" Lolita to justify his murder of Clare Quilty. The reader is led to believe that he kills Quilty because of his love for Lolita. However, I believe that Humbert Humbert kills Quilty because of his excessive pride. Similar to Valeria's lover, Humbert Humbert cannot bear the thought that Lolita would leave him for someone else. Therefore, Clare Quilty must die.

As a member of the jury, do you believe that Humbert Humbert is telling the truth? Or do you believe that his "love" for Lolita is an excuse for his pedophilic actions?

Love or Lust

Throughout the whole novel, Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita contains the complicated concept of love and lust between Lolita and Humbert Humbert. However, in my opinion, Humbert Humbert and Lolita’s relationship leans more towards lust. Humbert Humbert may sound like he is a true lover, but after observing his past life style, he is a true pedophile. He focuses much attention to sexual attributes of Lolita. His superficial love persuaded the readers and gave him an image of an innocent man. “And less than six inches from me and my burning life, was nebulous Lolita! After a long stirless vigil, my tentacles moved towards her again, and this time the creak of the mattress did nor awake her” (Nabokov 130). His ability of using complicated language gave him an advantage to avoid the image of a pedophile.
Lolita would be considered as an immature teenager. She fell for Humbert Humbert’s superficial love and care. However, her actions prove that she is a child prostitute. The second part of the novel adds more negative image of Lolita. Her betrayal on Humbert Humbert was a tragic moment for Humbert Humbert, and Lolita was masked with an image of a heartless woman. The lust was the only part that satisfied Lolita and Humbert Humbert’s relationship. Because of their immature and perverted nature, their relationship would not be considered as love but lust.

Violence: Uncontrollable or Unbelievable?

Throughout Lolita, readers experience the violent thoughts occurring in Humbert Humbert’s mind. Vladimir Nabokov’s descriptive language makes certain events believable to a reader at first that they may later reconsider. For example, when Humbert and Charlotte are spending the day at Hourglass Lake, Humbert is determined to drown Charlotte. He says, “The fatal gesture passes like the tail of a falling star across the blackness of the contemplated crime” (Nabokov 86). Humbert is descriptively explaining that his opportunity is right in front of him. He is clearly aware that his chance is slipping away, yet he continues to waste his time planning, in his mind, the exact order of the events to follow in which he will achieve the perfect murder. Similarly, earlier in the book, Humbert is informed of his wife’s affair and plots to kill her, as well. Fortunately for Humbert and excuse allows him to escape the possibility of acting on his threats—Valeria’s lover does not leave them alone. It is this characteristic that makes Humbert’s perspective so unbelievable to readers. Although Humbert is intimidating in his mind, readers can come to realize that he is not the type of person to act on his violent thoughts.