The Refrigerator Awakes

Nabokov wrote The Refrigerator Awakes shortly after he emigrated to the United States in 1940. Following his construction of the poem, it was published in The New Yorker in 1942. When reading this piece I tried to keep the fact that he was an emigrant in mind. It hones in on the idea of stereotypical America. As a foreigner, the American Dream or American family life that was prevalent in the 40s must of been new to Nabokov. Reading over the poem, I decided that in parts, it is an assessment of American culture through the household item of the refrigerator. Which, is something that is in every home and necessary. The idea that American culture revolves around the kitchen and then looking closely at the center of this: the fridge. I am not entirely sure of the meaning of this poem but I did find multiple similarities with his novel Lolita. The eloquent language is used both in this poem and Lolita. Nabokov's writing style makes any subject matter worth reading whether it be about a normal household item or the molestation of a young girl by her step father. This may be a shot in the dark but I compared the refrigerator to Humbert Humbert in several different ways. In the beginnnig of the poem, Nabokov writes:

Crash!
And if darkness could sound, it would sound like this
          giant
waking up in the torture house, trying to die
and not dying, and trying
not to cry and immediately crying
that he will, that he will, that he will do his best
to adjust his dark soul to the pressing request
of the only true frost

I took this to be a metaphor for H.H. in the way that he too has this utter darkness inside himself. At the end of the poem, the refrigerator is described as being a God and holding all these wonderful foods. And plays a key role in the house. Just as Humbert Humbert thought he was handsome and above those around him. Yet, the reader knows the deeds he is doing are awful and that he is a twisted man. The fridge is the same in this sense. It is cold and frozen on the inside. Yet, thinks highly of itself because it contains so many wonderful items. It comes off to be this mighty, white, god-like object, just as H. H. first appeared to Charlotte Haze. He was in sorts a knight in shining armor.