The Annotated Lolita Post 5

I found it interesting how quickly things progressed in this reading. Out of nowhere, this man begins stalking Lolita and H. H. and in the end he has stolen her. Humbert Humbert's desperation is very apparent in these last chapters. All he wants is Lolita back with him but he has to solve this mystery by himself. He cannot go to the police because that could expose his secret. In the middle of the reading, Humbert Humbert starts noticing this new follower. And the reader starts to question if Humbert Humbert is making this up or if it is actually happening. There are many instances where Humbert Humbert's sanity is questionable. For example, one night when he was staying at a motel with Lolita Humbert Humbert recalling the night said, "I felt sure somebody was tapping at the door of our cabin, and I flung it open, and noticed two things- that I was stark naked and that, white-glistening in the rain-dripping darkness, there stood a man holding before his face the mask of Juting Chin, a grotesque sleuth in the funnies. He emitted a muffled guffaw and scurried away, and I reeled back into the room, and fell asleep again, and am not sure even to this day that the visit was not a drug-prvoked dream" (217).  From then on, Humbert Humbert keeps having these visuals and it makes the reader question if he is sane. This leads me to my first research question which touches on the psychoanalysis of Humbert Humbert. We are constantly trying to figure out Humbert Humbert and explain his attraction to Lolita and the reasoning behind his actions.

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.

The Annotated Lolita Post 3

I found it odd how Lolita came onto Humbert Humbert. When stating this in court it was almost as if he was trying to say what he did was okay and not completely his fault. I found the ending of Part One to go by rather fast. From Ms. Haze's death to actually sleeping with Lolita, the chain of events progressed  quickly. I think Lolita was a lot different than Humbert Humbert anticipated. She was nothing similar to Annabelle his child lover. First off, she was not a virgin and she was not sweet and innocent like Annabelle had been.  Humbert Humbert had been preparing for months how exactly he would go about seducing Lolita and when the time came things turned out very different than he had expected. When the sleeping pills he had given her did not work, he panicked. But then the next morning, it was Lolita who seduced Humbert Humbert. And he did not even have to say or do anything, he simply just played along. It makes me think, Is this a child molesters dream? To have a child be more than willing to partake in his fantasies. Or is it the opposite, that it takes away the thrill of overcoming your victim. Humbert Humbert does not seem too bothered by it and happily leaves their hotel and travels to the next spot where he will continue this romance. Part 1 of Lolita is quite different from The Enchanter in this way. The girl in The Enchanter does not consent to the man's actions but Lolita does. When I was reading The Enchanter I felt more disgusted then I did when reading Lolita. Even though I know what Humbert Humbert was doing was wrong and sickening, it was different because Lolita gave permission. Whereas, the girl in The Enchanter did not agree to do anything with the man and when he tried to take her over, it made my stomach sink.

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. 

The Annotated Lolita Post 1

The fact that Nabokov's Foreword to Lolita is written by a fictional character immediately makes the reader question what is true and what is false. It confuses the reader into the possibility for the time sake that you are reading Lolita that it is a novel of truth. Lolita is written as the memoir of Humber Humbert.  John Ray, Jr whom is the character that has "written" the foreword is the cousin of Humbert Humbert's lawyer. John Ray, Jr writes how H. H. dies of coronary thrombosis in prison awaiting his trial for a crime that is not named.

It is interesting how John Ray, Jr immediately condemns Humbert Humbert's actions. He states, "I have no intention to glorify "H.H." No doubt, he is horrible, he is abject, he is a shining example of moral leprosy" (5). However, with saying that he does admit that although wrong, Humbert Humbert's love for Lolita was honest and real. He also goes on to explain Humbert Humbert's language and how it is the tenderness with which he speaks that makes readers keep coming back to this book. When I read this I thought of Nabokov as a writer. Even though he states many a time that he tries to separate his characters from himself. For example, Nabokov is a Lepidopterist and made it clear that the character H.H. knows nothing about Lepidoptera. But it is Nabokov's skills as a writer and his superb use of language that captivates readers even though the subject matter is unpleasant and morally wrong. And makes them keep coming back to this novel as well as others.

The Enchanter pt 2

One of the aspects of Nabokov that makes him such a brilliant writer is his character development. Something that struck me in The Enchanter was his description and formation of the young girl. Even though she only speaks twice during the whole book, there are certain details about her that make her relationship with the narrator even more haunting. The fact that she comes from a broken home really struck me emotionally. She resides with a couple who are strict and give off this feeling that they do not want her. And then her mother is ill and is very clear that she does not care for the girl. Knowing these details of the girl's life makes you think that she is already emotionally troubled. And then when she finally is put in the care of a guardian who seems like a good person and wants her, it turns out to be the narrator whom is a molester. You would think that any child who comes from a home life like hers would want a stable person in her life. And when she does receive that stable person, he is perverted and awful. These small details made the text even more heart-wrenching than it already was.

Here are some of the quotes describing the girl's home life:

"The girl's presence only irritated the widow, who was exceptionally decent but had grown somewhat self-indulgent" (16).

"And hers was not a very happy childhood, that of a half-orphan: this stern woman's kindness was not like milk chocolate, but like the bitter-kind - a home without caresses, strict order, symptons of fatigue, a favor for a friends grown burdensome" (18).

"that what is paramount to me is my peace and quiet. If it is disrupted I shall die. . . .Listen: there she goes scraping her foot on the floor or banging something - it wasn't very loud, was it? - yet it's already enough to give me a nervous spasm and make me see spots before my eyes. And a child cannot live without banging around; even if there are twenty-fve rooms all twenty-five will be noisy. Therefore you'll have to choose between me and her" (35).

The Enchanter pt 1

I found it rather interesting at what lengths the narrator goes to obtain a relationship with the young girl. He first had to develop a relationship with the girl's mother and then ended up marrying her. He has to care for and live with the sick woman who comes off as miserable and irritating. She is overbearing when it comes to him but wants nothing to do with her daughter. He puts up with her for so long in the hopes of the day that she passes away, that he will be able to look after the young girl. And then begin his sexual relationship with her.

I thought Nabokov did a fabulous job developing the character's thought process for this whole scheme. At one point, he even thinks about poising his new wife so that the girl can come live with him quicker. At times it seems like his patience is running out and he can no longer tolerate the woman he is living with. When thinking about his wife he gets frustrated and says, "How simple it would be if dear Mummy were to die tomorrow. But no- she's in no hurry, she has sunk her teeth into life, and will hang on, and what do I stand to gain if she takes her time dying, and what arrives for her funeral will be a touch-me-not of sixteen or a stranger of twenty? How simple it would be.. if there were some poison handy..." (39). This character in The Enchanter is manipulative and even though what he is doing is grotesque and immoral you must admit that he is very clever. He sacrifices his somewhat normal life for this girl, in the way that he marries and devotes time to her mother. During the majority of the book he does not even know if the girl will end up living with him. I found the devotion of this character mesmerizing in a haunting way.

I know The Enchanter is much shorter than Lolita but I think what it lacks in comparison besides length, is the details or description of the man's tortured mind. I found myself feeling sympathetic towards the character Humbert Humbert even though I know what he is doing is awful and wrong. I did not get that same type of feeling when reading The Enchanter. It may be because it is a shorter read, so Nabokov did not go into as much detail about the man's nature as in Lolita. With saying that, I do not mean that I disliked this book instead, I actually found it a very quick and absorbing read. And I am starting to like Nabokov more and more.