While in class today Mr. V posed
one of the biggest questions of Lolita; is the title character so
innocent, or can we blame her for Humbert’s predicament. While reading the
story I cannot agree that Lolita is as innocent as some might think. While it
is definitely true that Humbert Humbert is a pervert and clearly disturbed, one
can almost sympathize with him. Although his thought are filled with disgusting
acts and perverted images, I do not believe he would ever have the gall to act
on them. When reading the story it is quite clear that Lolita initiates the
affair. Lolita constantly flirts with Humbert. But, whatever the reason, it’s
apparent that Lolita almost gives Humbert the ok to start plotting his moves. I
do not believe he would have been able to make a move without Lolita’s flirtatious
passes at him. Before leaving for camp, Lolita rushed out of the car and ran up
to Humbert’s room in order to kiss him goodbye. Any feeling that I may have had
for Lolita’s innocence quickly evaporated when, after reuniting with Humbert on
her way back from camp, she once again initiates a make-out session and referred
to Humbert as her lover. I believe humbert would not be in his current
situation if Lolita had not flirted back with him. Don’t get me wrong, I still
think he’s a creep.
I completely agree with the statement that Lolita is not innocent. I believe that she is completely aware of what she is doing, but I also think that she may be mentally disturbed as well as Humbert Humbert. While reading, I notice that Nabokov was sure to mention Humbert’s past with his first love, Annabel. Since he went through such a traumatic experience, it could have made him the “monster” he turned into. It’s very common that if one experiences a loss of a loved one that the grief can make them go insane which can explain Humbert’s pedophilia. You may ask, “Well then, what about Lolita?” In the novel, the reader can see that Lolita did not have the best relationship with her mother. Lolita was horrible to Charlotte and vice versa. Also, Lolita did not have a father figure for most of her life and having this destructive relationship with her mother may have triggered her manipulative and sadistic ways.
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