“I want to protect you, dear, from all the horrors that
happen to little girls in coal sheds and alley ways, and, alas, comme vous le savez trop bien, ma gentile, in
the blueberry woods during the bluest of summers. Through thick and thin I will still stay you guardian, and if you
are good, I hope a court may legalize that guardianship before long” (149).
This excerpt comes from the first
chapter of part two when Humbert and Lolita begin their journey across the States. Moving from one hotel to another Humbert
isolates Lolita from the rest of the world in order to keep their relationship a
secret. Knowing that her cooperation is a necessity, he attempts to gain her collaboration
by taking her to movies and buying her various gifts. When this fails, and
Lolita continues to throw tantrums, he resorts to threats of solitude and
reformatories.
The above quote is another
excellent example of how Humbert uses his language to manipulate the reader
into taking a certain point of view. By using words like “protect” and “guardian”
he attempts to create the illusion that he actually has Lolita’s best interests
in mind. Continuing on, he describes adolescent sexual encounters as “Horrors”
that she must be kept from, when in fact, he is committing these same acts against
her. At the end he comments on his hopes of being awarded guardianship so that
he may continue to look after Lolita. Once again his true intentions are hidden
by his choice of words as he secretly hopes to keep Lolita all to himself.
Q: In his mind, do you think that Humbert truly loves Lolita,
or is he just describing their relationship in a manner to cover up his depraved
acts?
-Jonathan Virdell
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