For the one person who is reading this blog, don't read this review if you haven't' read the book and want to. I give away a good chunk of the plot...if you have read it or have no desire to than please read on....
I left off last time on page 30ish completely in love with the writing in this novel, wonderfully curious about the character of Humbert and excited about the journey Nabokov was about to take me on. Well, shortly after reaching page 40, everything but the love for the writing in this book changed for me. I have finished the book and have many, many thoughts on it. So here goes:
Although, I started out sympathizing with Humbert's character, as the novel progressed, I found it harder and harder to have any good feelings towards him at all. He is actually a pretty loathsome character, motivated by only one thing throughout and that is his lust for Dorothy "Lolita" Haze. It is seemingly the ONLY thing that drives all of his actions in life and most of those actions are completely deplorable. I'm sure that this is Nabokov's intention and boy did he succeed in making me wholly disgusted by Humbert! His joy at Charlotte's death (Lolita's mother) begins his downward spiral into doing everything and anything for Lolita's affection. The fact that he showed joy at another's death is sick in and of itself but when you consider the fact that he married her just to get closer to Lolita is downright despicable. Yes, I realize I have used every synonym for disgusting that I can find to describe this character but I want to get across how I felt while reading this book. What kept me reading then, you ask? Just that. If I could be so repulsed by him, the author was doing something right because he was making me have a very strong reaction. Also, the writing really is beautiful and it is so rare these days to find writing that isn't hastily thrown on a page and passed off as literature. (Hello celebrities who think you can write a book - I'm talking about you!!!) and I wanted to see if there was any justice in this world Nabokov created...would Humbert eventually get his? The answer is sort of but I'll get to that. Aside from all of these hateful feelings I had towards Humbert, he is in fact more dimensional than he seems.. He is a miserable person consumed with lust for Lolita but equally guilty and shameful and fearful of being found out. When he finally loses Lolita in the end, he is able to reflect upon his actions and he sees what we have all seen from the start - a selfish, weak, pathetic man who lives in his own single minded world. This realization gives him a bit of a redeeming quality. A bit. He says about 3/4 of the way through of his obsession with young girls,
"...indeed it may well be that the very attraction immaturity has for me lies not so much in the limpidity of pure young forbidden fairly child beauty as in the security of a situation where infinite perfections fill the gap between the little given and the great promised..." I believe this quote is really the crux of the book. The idea that in our minds we see people the way we want them to be and not who they really are or who they will become is an intriguing one. Humbert reflects on this a few times throughout the novel. He is constantly fearful of Lolita growing older - he wants to preserve her in her adolescence because that's what he knows -that is what is familiar to him. He is fearful of what she will become later in life because its unknown and don't we all have that fear? Aren't we all afraid that the ones we love will change and grow out of us?
The novel ends with a tragic occurrence of course. Don't' all great novels have an element of tragedy? Humbert kills the man responsible for stealing Lolita's heart away from him. This scene is one of the oddest in the novel yet brings a sense of relief to Humbert. Even though he committed a horrible crime, you can sense that he is glad in a way to finally be caught and put away where he can't do any more harm to himself or others.
I don't like how people call this a love story because it is not love. It is lust and unhealthy obsession. Lolita does not return his feelings in any way. She is disgusted by him as well and she should be. Strangely enough, I found it hard to sympathize with her character. You would think she would be the one to pull at my attention and affection but she is not a likable character at all. She is bratty, annoying and confusing at times. She gives her affection to Humbert at times only to then pull it away as quickly as she gave it. She is only 12 and is not mature enough to be doing these things methodically but it still annoyed me.
The plot itself is a little mundane and boring at times. It's really the character of Humbert that drives this novel. The action is slow and sometimes non existent. I did lose interest for a while because nothing seemed to be happening but I was intrigued at how it was all going to end. So the only question left is, Why is this a classic? Despite the fact that most of us aren't pedophiles, there are characteristics of Humbert all of us can relate to: Being so consumed with one single thing in life has taken over all of us at one point or another no matter how small as well as loving someone that doesn't love us back.We can all relate to feelings of inadequacy, shame, guilt and loneliness. Also, the writing is really wonderful and ultimately, the reason why this is a classic.
Overall, I give this novel 4 out of 5 stars because it was provocative, thought provoking, wonderfully crafted and written and it pissed me off. If you have read this book, let me know what YOU think...
I left off last time on page 30ish completely in love with the writing in this novel, wonderfully curious about the character of Humbert and excited about the journey Nabokov was about to take me on. Well, shortly after reaching page 40, everything but the love for the writing in this book changed for me. I have finished the book and have many, many thoughts on it. So here goes:
Although, I started out sympathizing with Humbert's character, as the novel progressed, I found it harder and harder to have any good feelings towards him at all. He is actually a pretty loathsome character, motivated by only one thing throughout and that is his lust for Dorothy "Lolita" Haze. It is seemingly the ONLY thing that drives all of his actions in life and most of those actions are completely deplorable. I'm sure that this is Nabokov's intention and boy did he succeed in making me wholly disgusted by Humbert! His joy at Charlotte's death (Lolita's mother) begins his downward spiral into doing everything and anything for Lolita's affection. The fact that he showed joy at another's death is sick in and of itself but when you consider the fact that he married her just to get closer to Lolita is downright despicable. Yes, I realize I have used every synonym for disgusting that I can find to describe this character but I want to get across how I felt while reading this book. What kept me reading then, you ask? Just that. If I could be so repulsed by him, the author was doing something right because he was making me have a very strong reaction. Also, the writing really is beautiful and it is so rare these days to find writing that isn't hastily thrown on a page and passed off as literature. (Hello celebrities who think you can write a book - I'm talking about you!!!) and I wanted to see if there was any justice in this world Nabokov created...would Humbert eventually get his? The answer is sort of but I'll get to that. Aside from all of these hateful feelings I had towards Humbert, he is in fact more dimensional than he seems.. He is a miserable person consumed with lust for Lolita but equally guilty and shameful and fearful of being found out. When he finally loses Lolita in the end, he is able to reflect upon his actions and he sees what we have all seen from the start - a selfish, weak, pathetic man who lives in his own single minded world. This realization gives him a bit of a redeeming quality. A bit. He says about 3/4 of the way through of his obsession with young girls,
"...indeed it may well be that the very attraction immaturity has for me lies not so much in the limpidity of pure young forbidden fairly child beauty as in the security of a situation where infinite perfections fill the gap between the little given and the great promised..." I believe this quote is really the crux of the book. The idea that in our minds we see people the way we want them to be and not who they really are or who they will become is an intriguing one. Humbert reflects on this a few times throughout the novel. He is constantly fearful of Lolita growing older - he wants to preserve her in her adolescence because that's what he knows -that is what is familiar to him. He is fearful of what she will become later in life because its unknown and don't we all have that fear? Aren't we all afraid that the ones we love will change and grow out of us?
The novel ends with a tragic occurrence of course. Don't' all great novels have an element of tragedy? Humbert kills the man responsible for stealing Lolita's heart away from him. This scene is one of the oddest in the novel yet brings a sense of relief to Humbert. Even though he committed a horrible crime, you can sense that he is glad in a way to finally be caught and put away where he can't do any more harm to himself or others.
I don't like how people call this a love story because it is not love. It is lust and unhealthy obsession. Lolita does not return his feelings in any way. She is disgusted by him as well and she should be. Strangely enough, I found it hard to sympathize with her character. You would think she would be the one to pull at my attention and affection but she is not a likable character at all. She is bratty, annoying and confusing at times. She gives her affection to Humbert at times only to then pull it away as quickly as she gave it. She is only 12 and is not mature enough to be doing these things methodically but it still annoyed me.
The plot itself is a little mundane and boring at times. It's really the character of Humbert that drives this novel. The action is slow and sometimes non existent. I did lose interest for a while because nothing seemed to be happening but I was intrigued at how it was all going to end. So the only question left is, Why is this a classic? Despite the fact that most of us aren't pedophiles, there are characteristics of Humbert all of us can relate to: Being so consumed with one single thing in life has taken over all of us at one point or another no matter how small as well as loving someone that doesn't love us back.We can all relate to feelings of inadequacy, shame, guilt and loneliness. Also, the writing is really wonderful and ultimately, the reason why this is a classic.
Overall, I give this novel 4 out of 5 stars because it was provocative, thought provoking, wonderfully crafted and written and it pissed me off. If you have read this book, let me know what YOU think...
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