When I got
the syllabus for this course, I saw that our last book was Lolita. I’ve heard of this novel many times but I’ve never really
known what it was about. The past couple months, Mr. V would give us some hints
about the novel without giving the whole story line away. Mr. V was not the
only person hinting about this certain novel; I have actually seen it through
our “Pop-Culture.” Back in February, one of my favorite shows, Pretty Little Liars was on air for its
second season. While watching, I noticed that in a couple episodes the characters
found a copy of Lolita and it
actually played an important part in the show. What the show was basically
trying to convey is that the main character, Alison, exemplifies “Lolita.”
Alison had a relationship with an older man and she is now dead; she was
murdered. The show is based on her friends trying to find out who killed her,
but they are also being harassed by an anonymous menace threatening them with
their secrets. When Alison’s friends found her copy of Lolita, it gave them an important clue to find out who is harassing
them. This is only one example of how Vladimir Nabokov’s novel can be found in
today’s society. Also, in January, singer Lana Del Rey came out with her debut
album, Born to Die and I remember
reading reviews about it, and they were mostly positive so, I downloaded it.
She has a track on the Album called Lolita
with lyrics such as, “Hey Lolita, Hey, Hey Lolita, Hey, I know what the boys want,
I’m not gonna play. Hey Lolita, Hey, Hey Lolita, Hey, whistle all you want, but
I’m not gonna stay. No more skipping rope, skipping heartbeats with the boys
downtown. Just you and me feeling the heat when the sun goes down.” I think it is safe to say that Vladimir
Nabokov’s novel is actually everywhere in today’s society, from being a literature
masterpiece, to being used in a top rated television program and also utilized
in the music industry. These are only a few examples, but I think if we all
keep an eye open while reading this novel, we can find even more.
It's interesting how society and pop culture have changed over the years. Not only has Lolita gained popular familiarity and acceptance, but the same could be said for perversion in general. Like Lolita, the critically acclaimed Dexter and Breaking Bad revolve around criminals. All three shows explore the minds of men whose criminal actions deem them outcasts of society. Likewise, the 3 dimensionality of the characters earn sympathy in most people and justification in a few. Dexter follows a sociopathic serial killer, but he only kills criminals. Breaking Bad follows a Meth cook, but he is dying and wants to provide for his family (arguably). Lolita follows a man's sexual adventures with young girls, but he believes they aren't human. All three characters do bad things, yet the media isn't calling for their heads. In fact, all three works are considered some of the best in their field and the characters are often sympathized with and rooted for. But what does this say about our 21st century society. Is it okay that we accept and love fictional works with criminals as the protagonists? Are we improving as a culture (open mindedness) or are we degenerating (some pedophiles liken themselves to the gay community)
ReplyDelete