“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?
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