The Annotated Lolita Post 2

Throughout the reading, Humbert Humbert keeps alluding to the comparison of Lolita and a butterfly. He is constantly describing himself as a spider in his attempt to "capture" or win her over.  Humbert Humbert when speaking about himself says, "Like some predator that prefers a moving prey to a motionless one" (42). This is referring to a spider that preys upon their target when it is still alive rather than dead. It is important to note that spiders are a butterfly's "natural enemy" (357). In one scene in the book, Humbert Humbert goes on to relate how searching the house for Lolita is similar to that of a spider forming their web. He says, "I am like one of those inflated pale spiders you see in the old gardens. Sitting in the middle of a luminous web and giving little jerks to this or that strand" (49). Spider webs are as described "luminous" and attract the attention of insects until they find themselves ultimately stuck in the web, awaiting their death by the nearby hunter. When Humbert Humbert describes his own "web" as being luminous, he is describing his overall appearance. As he does earlier in the book, he thinks he is a handsome fellow and to him that is what is drawing in Lolita. Spiders tend to lure in their prey and then attack. And as the famous black widow is known for, they often times attack those closest to them (their own spouse). Even though a butterfly can symbolize Lolita, it is also important to keep this in mind. She very well could be another spider in a sense, that not until Humbert Humbert has fully captured her will he enjoy and then ultimately kill his beloved Lolita.