"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?
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