Lolita Part I- page 132

"Frigid gentlewomen of the jury! I had thought that months, perhaps years, would elapse before I dared to reveal myself to Dolores Haze; but by six she was awake, and by six fifteen we were technically lovers. I am going to tell you something very strange: it was she who seduced me." -Page 132

The 'anesthesia' from the purple pills had worn off. Dolores, wakes up with Humbert Humbert in the same bed as she and pretending to be asleep. She isn't freaked out, frightened, or even just a little surprised. Instead,
Dolores’ reaction is to kiss him and then have sex with him.

This really makes me question even further what is going on in Lolita’s head and that she may actually be the seducer more than Humbert. However, taking a step back, it appears that Humbert’s presentation of his defense is “working” on me, at least to a small extent. At this point in the novel, is Humbert’s defense “working” on you? Yes, pedophilia is wrong, disgusting, and loathesome, but do you  think that Humbert should hold all of the blame?

Mother/fatherhood and Sanity?

"I could of course visualize Lolita with hallucinational lucidity; and nursing as I did a triangle on my breastbone at the exact spot her silky top had come into contact once or twice with my heart; and feeling as I did her warm weight in my lap (so that, in a sense, I was always "with Lolita" as a woman is "with child"), I was not surprised to discover later that my computation had been more or less correct." -p 107

This passage is one example of those that play a key role in the novel. It reminds us, with the example of being "with child," that Humbert Humbert is no ordinary pedophile. He is a pervert, yes, but he's also crazy. He compares himself to a pregnant woman here, demonstrating his need for control and possession and anything to be close to Lo, his obsessive love and now, questionably, daughter. Per usual, his logic is not clear here. Why does he also want to be a father figure to the one he lusts after? Can he control his awful urges of lust to Lolita or is it actually the result of some childhood trauma or strange need for control or a child-like relationship?

Perhaps he cannot control his urges, as they occur so frequently throughout the novel. You can never read too long without coming becoming uncomfortable with a subtle or entirely too blunt description of Lolita with an inappropriate response of Humbert's body to it, as his "breastbone" with "her warm weight in [his] lap." More likely though, Nabokov uses these instances to remind us of his filth and constant lust and desires. It keeps us from ever viewing Humbert as the hero or rooting for him to succeed. This makes us question the purpose for the novel and what Nabokov wants our response to be. Are we supposed to sympathize with Humbert, and if not what is the point in reading a disgusting pedophile's thoughts? Are we supposed to see a real love here? But how can we see this as a love novel with the constant interruptions of pedophiliac lust? It is much more complex than love or lust, but Nabokov presents us with tough decisions in every page about our response to this Humbert Humbert.

Child No More

"Her kiss, to my delirious embarrassment, had some rather comical refinements of flutter and probe which made me conclude she had been coached at an early age by a little Lesbian." -p. 133

When Humbert and Lolita are finally reunited, it's shocking to learn that Lolita was never the innocent little girl that I had imagined. From the mental image that Humbert had conceived of her before, I believed that Lolita was a charming, young, innocent girl whose purity needed to be preserved, lest Humbert steals it from her. Yet, upon her return from camp, Lolita is actually the one who makes the first initial move on Humbert. Furthermore; Lolita is even more experienced than Humbert, and even coaches him. After learning that Lolita has been a promiscuous child while she has been away at camp, it makes me wonder if Humbert had been crazy all along. It seems almost conceivable that when he imagined that Lolita took a liking to him, it could have actually been true. All of Humbert's crazy fantasies before seem not so crazy anymore.

Or are maybe Lolita and Humbert both crazy? And if so, did Lolita notice Humbert's previous sexual encounters with her?

Love vs. Sexual Attraction

“Mingled with the pangs of guilt was the agonizing thought that her mood might prevent me from making love to her again as soon as I found a nice country road where to park in peace. In other words, poor Humbert Humbert was dreadfully unhappy, and while steadily and inanely driving toward Lepingville, he kept racking his brains for some quip of the bright wing of which he might dare turn to his seatmate” (140).

At this moment, Lo and Humbert have just left the hotel where he lived out his fantasies and succeeded in having a sexual encounter with Lolita. These were his thoughts when he noticed that she was rather quiet and had an unhappy look on her face. While it is refreshing to have a glimpse of Humbert’s seemingly nonexistent conscience, that breath of fresh air is quickly soured by his other thoughts about the situation. Once again, we see just how immature and selfish he is. By referring to himself as “poor Humbert Humbert,” I found myself disgusted with his request for sympathy. There is a definite contradiction between his claims of loving Lolita so much and his actions. If love were actually present, he would be concerned with her sudden hostile mood and silence, but instead he does not pay attention to her present needs or feelings. He is only worried about how “dreadfully unhappy” he is because he knows that Lo is not going to give in to him again that day. This excerpt only supports the argument that his “feelings” for Lolita are purely sexual.

Does Humbert feel guilty about what he has done? Or do his other thoughts completely overshadow and contradict any possible feelings of guilt? Do you think there is any way that he actually loves for Lolita?

Plunged into a nightmare (pg. 129)

Pg. 129 (End of Chapter 32)

"This was a lone child, an absolute waif, with whom a heavy-limbed, foul-smelling adult had had strenuous intercourse three times that very morning. Whether or not the realization of a lifelong dream had surpassed all expectation, it had, in a sense, overshot its mark -- and plunged into a nightmare."

At this point in the novel, Humbert Humbert has successfully accomplished his mission of having sexual intercourse with Lolita. However, he begins to feel uneasy and realizes that perhaps the aftermath wasn't exactly what he expected. Lo acts distant and even more harsh than her usual self while in the car the next morning. Humbert even states that he feels "as if I were sitting with the small ghost of somebody I had just killed." Humbert clearly feels uncomfortable with the situation at hand. This is also evident in the way he describes himself in the section I chose. Usually very cocky and arrogant about his looks and self, he is now insulting and belittling himself. Lo is in some sort of pain and seems to be very upset with Humbert, to the point where she calls him rude names, accuse him of physical damage to her body, and then goes as far as to say she should call the cops on him and tell them that he raped her. All of this said, of course, in her "dynamic" way, in which Humbert can't tell if she is joking or if she's actually posing some sort of threat to him. This adds greatly to his alrady miserable and paranoid state.

How has this sudden turn of events effected Humbert Humbert? Did he really expect things to resume normally after having intercourse with his precious and delicate Lolita? How do you think the relationship between them has changed? Does Lo's threat of turning in H.H. completely obliterate any hopes he had of continuing this secret, sexual/romantic relationship with her?

A Claim at Innocence

"Frigid gentlewomen of the jury! I had thought that months, perhaps years, would elapse before I dared to reveal myself to Dolores Haze; but by six she was wide awake, and by six fifteen we were technically lovers. I am going to tell you something very strange: It was she who seduced me."
(pg. 132)

This passage is important in that it highlights some of the reasoning behind Humbert Humbert's motives. Although he recognizes himself (to some extent, depending on the day) as a pervert, he still seems very determined to preserve Dolores' innocence. The reader can be sure that his desire for the little girl is overwhelming and seems to contrast that idea of him keeping her whole. By referring the jury and telling them it was Lolita who seduced him, H.H is putting the blame onto her. He is washing his hands of his horrible deeds, as if he didn't actually have any free will against her at all. He is making Lolita out to be the guilty one, the "nymphet" who used her powers to undermine his own self-control. H.H is once again using the magic of words to twist himself into a more favorable light. He allows Dolores Haze to be the cause of the eventual seduction, seemingly forgetting that she is a twelve year old child and he is the adult. In this way, Humbert Humbert is redeeming himself, not in the reader's eyes, but in his own. He is finding some way, any way, to rid himself of the guilt he feels for being a pervert and for desiring this "seduction" by Dolores Haze.



In what way can this situation that is presented by Humbert Humbert be seen as a plea for his own innocence against the powers of nymphets like Dolores Haze? In what ways is it very obvious that even Humbert himself does not fully believe what he is saying?

"You see, she had absolutely nowhere else to go"

Throughout the book Humbert has been trying to control every circumstance in his life. He has controlled his temper, his pedophilia (to a point, his career, he even thinks uses his "magnetism" towards woman as an exapmle of his poisedness. His tight control over every situation in his life veils the outrageous thoughts and actions that he has committed. His need to control extends even after he has caught his Lolita. He has trapped her with him, without an escape from his grasp. Humbert justifies his immorality with the fact that he can "control" his desires through controlling his life and those around him. This is vital to his self-conscious. People who are manipulative can convince themselves of everything, it will be interesting to see how Humbert reacts when his iniquities unravel his finely threaded web of lies he has woven in his own head.