Wednesday, September 25, 2013
The Annotated Lolita Post 4
It was in this reading that Humbert Humbert's games and wits were called to my attention. The way he swoons over Lolita and is able to toy with her mind and emotions really secures the idea that he is playing a chess game. From the very beginning of the reading, he talks about his tactics to which he confirms that Lolita will keep their secret. He is always manipulating her even though she is quite smart for her age and is mentally sharp. She does not catch on to the simple things he does to forever hold her "prisoner" if you will. He creates this image in her head of what her life would be like if he was not there. Or if anybody were to find out about their sexual relations. When talking about what would happen if their secret was exposed Humbert says, "So I go to jail. Okay. I go to jail. But what happens to you, my orphan? Well, you are luckier. You become a ward of the Department of Public Welfare - which I am afraid sounds a little bleak" (151). And then goes on to say, "If we two are found out, you will be analyzed and institutionalized" (151). He is embedding in her mind a life much more horrible than the one she has now. And ensuring that no matter how upset she may become at him in the future, that she would never dare talk about what was going on between them sexually. It is all a game to Humbert Humbert even though he is deeply in love with Lolita. He is playing a chess game and is ultimately at this point of the novel, the winner. He has Lolita wrapped around his little finger doing exactly what he wants. He gives her what she wants but she must reciprocate and fill his desires. He has finally come to the understanding of Lolita as a whole. He knows how she operates and what buttons to push to get what he wants without going too far. He has rooted in her mind that her life is great when she is with him and if they were ever to be separated, her standard of living would drop a great deal. The reader gets the idea that Lolita likes being the object of someone's desire and would not enjoy any of the possibilities at hand, if her and Humbert Humbert would be found out. So she in turn keeps her mouth shut and Humbert can keep winning his game.
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This post actually highlights to me the difference between a game and the relationship in which H.H. and Dolores ultimately find themselves. While the flirtation between Humbert and his stepdaughter resembles a game, it later becomes a sort of negotiation - i.e. threats and bribes (in Part 2). H.H. tells Charlotte: "every game has its rules..." to reassert power in their relationship. But H.H. wins by Charlotte's accidental death, and there are no accidents in chess (although there are blunders). Hunting, as in the Enchanted Hunters, is a game or sport and has rules. Lolita's kissing practices and other sexual hijinks at camp are called games by her, and she tells H.H. that he is playing the game wrong or doesn't understand the game. But - as your other post suggests - Humbert himself becomes the object of a game when he is hunted. So, games and their opposite - serious negotiations - can be your theme for future posts.
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