While reading Lolita, I've come to the conclusion that I think the only reason why anyone could possibly feel bad for--or just not dislike--Humbert Humbert is because he is supposed to be sexy. I think that even though it is a book, the description of HH's appearance, the fact he resembles a famous attractive actor, and his usage of language might make one overlook the fact that he is a pedophile. It's a generalization to say that everyone ends up feeling bad for him, or liking him, yet why would we as the audience like such a person? Is it because of his supposed appearance, and are we really that shallow? I'd like to say no, but I'm not exactly sure I can.
This situation is similar to the movie, Little Children(2006) with Kate Winslet. In the movie, the pedophile, Ronnie McGorvey, is just generally hideous and creepy. This adds to the overall creepiness of being a pedophile, thus, the audience ends up hating him, which isn't always true in regards to Lolita.
Even though the book describes Humbert Humbert as a sexy man, I cannot help but picture him as a creepy old-man mainly because he is a pedophile. However I do not believe the reason people sympathize with him is because of his looks. I believe, because Nabokov is able to give the reader such a clear insight into H.H.'s mind and deliver a basically three dimensional character to the story, allows the reader to fully understand Humbert's creepy motives. I think it is this aspect that is the true reason so many readers of Lolita is able to feel bad for Humbert. While I personally do not feel bad for him, I can understand the effect that reading a character’s entire thought process and personal emotions can have on the reader. It can lead them to lean more towards sympathizing with this character that they feel as if they know. Throughout the entire book, the reader is exposed to the inner workings of H.H.’s mind. At the stories close, they feel as if they understand the character and therefore sympathize with him.
ReplyDeleteI think when Vladimir Nabokov wrote this book his intent might have been to be to show people that we are all secretly monsters. The difference between fairy tale monsters and people are their appearance. Monsters in fairy tales are seen as grotesque, scary and unappealing. People who are monsters look the same as anyone else. No one can suspect someone who looks like they fit in. A normal way to convince one’s self to hate someone is to make them look ugly. Because Humbert Humbert is not ugly it is harder to hate him.
ReplyDeleteThen again Nobokov could have made Humbert Humbert attractive for a reason. We as the audience would not like him if he was not appealing. Because he is this sexy man he is more accepted as a creep.