Thursday, October 6, 2011

Realization of Love

"I had no intention of torturing my darling. Somewhere beyond Bill's shack an afterwork radio begun singing of folly and fate, and there she was with her ruined looks and her adult, rope-veined narrow hands and her goose-flesh white arms, and her shallow ears, and her unkempt armpits, there she was (my Lolita!), hopelessly worn at seventeen, with that baby, dreaming already in her of becoming a big shot and retiring around 2020 A.D.-- and I looked and looked at her, and knew as clearly as I know I am to die, that I loved her more than anything I had ever seen or imagined on earth, or hoped for anywhere else."

In this passage, Humbert has come to Dolly's house seeking answers. He wants to know who captured her three years ago and where they went. Dolly has changed dramatically in the past three years. She is no longer a nymph but is a late teenager with a baby in her belly and a husband. The reader sees how much three years matters to maturation when a person is young and the reader can see this in the way Dolly has changed.
Throughout the novel, Humbert has made it clear that he is only attracted to nymphs. He has no interest in older girls or women his age. In fact, he doesn't seem to like anyone at all. Throughout the novel, he doesn't even seem to like Lolita. The only reason he keeps Lolita around is because he has a fantasy that he's trying to play out. The possibility of Humbert being capable of true love seems far fetched until he visits Lolita after three years. He expresses his love for her even though her looks are "ruined" (which is ironic because society generally considers the age of 17 to be a person's "prime years"). The theme of fantasy vs. reality is represented here. Humbert has been brought back to reality. He comes to the realization that he really does love Lolita as a person and not just for her nymphish looks because she is no longer a child.

Does Humbert really love Lolita or is he still just in love with the ideal fantasy of her as a child?

-Molly Cook

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