Unlike the other novels that we have read, Lolita is written in first- person narration. Normally I
would see this as nothing but another style of writing, but for Lolita it allows the most despicable character to be one to
feel sorry for. Humbert Humbert is a disgusting man that has a desire to sleep
with young children. From hearing the plot alone, I hated Humbert Humbert. As the
novel went on the hate for this terrible man grew more and more. When the novel
game to an end I still blamed him for all this misfortune in both his and
Lolita’s life. However there are moments in the novel where Humbert Humbert is
able to explain his actions or situation to the reader all because it is written
in first –person narrative. A first-person narration allows the reader to see
what the main character sees, thinks, and feels. We do not read the thoughts of
any other character. Due to the
fact that it is written in first-person Humbert Humbert can set the tone for
the situation and make it appear as if he were the victim, by saying that
Lolita started everything. Whether he is speaking the truth or not, Humbert
Humbert can show the situation how he saw it and make the reader feel bad for
him. One moment where I felt the most sorrow for this man was when he said that
he would give her money whether Lolita loved him or not, and that he had and always
will love her. Humber Humbert showed the sorrow he felt and the love he
expressed towards Lolita. First- person narration allows the character to
change a situation and make the reader feel a certain emotion towards them,
just as Humbert Humbert did in Lolita.
First person narrative creates a very personable reading. A reader can truly feel sorry for, happy for, angry at, etc for a character. We see into the mind of our main character, or at least what they want us to see. In the case of this book, I feel like it was imperative for it to take a first person narrative. If it were done otherwise, such as through a 3rd person, the story would have been much more detached and even boring. I feel that a third person narrative would isolate HH. No reader would feel remorse for him or anything. We only feel bad for him because we read what he thinks. Without his thoughts he would just be a creepy pedophile. I partially agree with you, Charlotte. At the beginning I hated HH. But, unlike you, as the story progressed, I felt more sympathy for him. I felt, pedophilia aside, that he was a decent person and 1st person narrative definitely helped with that.
ReplyDelete