Lolita- Nabokov (English)

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Ensayo Lolita |
ESTUDIOS SELECTIVOS DE LA LITERATURA DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS II |
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-JAVIER GALIANO BOLEA |
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Introduction
This essay tries to look at Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “Lolita” not from a popular perspective but from an academic and critical point of view. This introduction reflects the way in which this work has been organized.
In this paper, I willfirstly focus on a short description of Humbert Humbert book and how finding a unique perspective to look at Humbert Humbert’s situation is can be a very complex theme. Secondly, we begin to consider whether the accused must be considered guilty or innocent. Then, we leave all this perspective to concentrate on what type of crime he has committed a crime or not.
Finally, this account raises theimportant issue of explaining why and how I have come to my final decision about him to conclude with, perhaps the most striking theme across the paper: what would it be a suitable penalty for his crime in case he has been found guilty of any charges.
However, as this study will show we have to bear in mind the history to gain perspective and be able to understand the development of science fictionnovels in the modern society we live today.
Humbert Humbert
The book deals with the universal theme of the distinction between being desire of loving and at the same time of being loved. When he wrote this book, Vladimir Nabokov clearly did not try to teach his readers any moral lesson. Broadly speaking, by the use of different techniques, the author tries to seduce the reader using hisexcellent skills as a writer. Humbert Humbert is not only a character created by Nabokov but also “the writer” of this book. There is a double purpose to write this book:
Firstly, he uses a very seducing way to develop his self-defense in front of the court, trying to convince both, the jury and the readers to understand his perspective. Secondly, he is a smart writer and a narrator who looks forsympathy to get his story published as well.
He has murdered a man and has had sexual relations with a twelve-years-old stepdaughter. However, by the use of an elevated language and very persuasive writing skills, he tries to seduce both the readers and the jury to uncover the truth.
Finding out Whether he is Guilty or not Guilty
By his unique style, Humbert Humbert almost forces thereader to feel compassion for him. It is not an essay task to decide whether he must be considered guilty or not; however, the truth is that a man has lost his life and a young girl has lost most of her childhood as well.
To find out whether he is guilty or not we have to keep in mind the fact that Humbert Humbert, in my opinion, was suffering from mental disorders. In fact, his situation’s rootswould lie in the traumatic loss of his first love Annabel, who suddenly died when they were children. Since then, he has been so absorbed with satisfying this desire that he became sexually obsessed with a twelve-year-old girl who is his stepdaughter.
At the beginning of chapter seven, there is an interesting reference that clearly evidences the ways in which he was looking for recovery whilegoing through great confusion in his life:
“I do not know if the pimp’s album may not have been another link in the daisy-chain; but soon after, for my own safety, I decided to marry. It occurred to me that regular hours, home-cooked meals, all the conventions of marriage, the prophylactic routine of its bedroom activities and, who knows, the eventual flowering of certain moral values, of certainspiritual substitutes, might help me, if not to purge myself of my degrading and dangerous desires, at least to keep them under pacific control” (Nabokov: 24)
He is obviously looking for safety, what is something universal we all need. From the very beginning of our lives we all look for safety. From my point of view, he is looking for this safety from both, himself and from all danger that...