Erykah Foss
Mr. Pace
DC English IV
Triple-Entry Journal
4 January 2019
Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov
Quote
“I was a strong lad and
survived; but the poison was
in the wound, and the wound
remained ever open, and
soon I found myself
maturing amid a civilization
which allows a man of
twenty-five to court a girl of
sixteen but not a girl of
twelve” (18).
“The fact of your remaining
would only mean one thing:
that you want me as much as
I do you: as a lifelong mate;
and that you are ready to
link up your life with mine
forever and ever and be a
father to my little girl” (68).
“My solemn exasperation
was to her the silence of
love” (77).
Significance
Humbert is a pedophile who describes
girls within a certain age group as
“nymphets.” He finds it ridiculous that
it is legal to be with a girl who is 16
and not any younger, which further
proves his gross yearnings. He is
attractive to other women, but he only
sees them as obstacles.
Without learning about his history or
personality, Charlotte falls in love with
Humbert’s intelligence and European
charm. He comments about the
superficiality of American culture and
how he did not care for his
simple-minded housewife. Humbert,
obsessed with Lolita, decides this
marriage would be the best way to be
close to her.
There is a love triangle that develops
between Lolita, Charlotte, and
Humbert. Charlotte becomes jealous of
her child, threatening to send her to a
boarding school. Humbert, scared of
losing his love, dismisses the idea,
making her more suspicious. Her
jealousy ultimately leads to her demise
after finding Humbert’s letters of hatred
toward her and love for her child.
Interpretation
He makes himself sound like a victim. I
can tell he is trying to persuade the
reader to dismiss his horrible desires.
Nymphet reminds me of “The
Odyssey” by Homer where there are
nymphs, beautiful but wild girls who
were seduced by gods and men. I think
“nymphet” symbolizes Humbert’s
attraction to young girls and Lolita’s
loss of innocence.
American culture greatly differs from
European culture. Lolita and Charlotte
represent the former with their
disinterest in sophistication. Humbert
tries to send Lolita to Beardsley so she
can get a formal education, but her only
interests were performing arts and her
social life. She even chose to leave with
Quilty over staying with her father.
Jealousy causes many complications,
especially between family members. In
Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Claudius
murders his own brother out of
jealousy. He becomes king and takes
his brother’s widowed wife. Humbert
felt responsible for killing his wife.
Jealousy leads to guilt and broken
relationships.

“We are not sex fiends! We
do not rape as good soldiers
do. We are unhappy, mild,
dog-eyed gentlemen,
sufficiently well integrated
to control our urge in the
presence of adults, but ready
to give years and years of
life for one chance to touch a
nymphet. Emphatically, no
killers are we. Poets never
kill” (88).
“‘The Girl Scout’s motto,’
said Lo rhapsodically, ‘is
also mine. I fill my life with
worthwhile deeds such as--
well, never mind what. My
duty is--to be useful. I am a
friend to male animals. I
obey orders. I am cheerful.
That was another police car.
I am thrifty am I am
absolutely filthy in thought,
word and deed’” (114).
“I am nature’s faithful
hound. Why then this horror
that I cannot shake off? Did
I deprive her of her flower?
Sensitive gentlewomen of
the jury, I was not even her
first lover” (135).
“‘I was a daisy-fresh girl,
and look what you’ve done
to me. I ought to call the
police and tell them you
raped me. Oh, you dirty,
dirty old man.’ Was she just
joking? An ominous
hysterical note rang through
her silly words” (141).
Humbert explains that he simply has
the wrong interests. He does not have
intentions of hurting Lolita because he
cares about her. He has learned to mask
his desires so that others do not suspect
his pedophilia, which is why he
married Charlotte.
At Camp Q, Lolita is taught the duties a
woman is expected to fulfill: marry a
man, have babies, cook for her family,
and clean house. She also learns about
kissing and intercourse at camp, which
surprises and disgusts Humbert. He
realizes he benefits from this because
she is now interested in participating in
these acts with him.
Humbert believes he should not be
blamed for Lolita’s corrupt childhood.
He defends himself by reminding the
reader that her virginity was taken not
by him. His way of convincing helps
the reader see Humbert as a character
worth believing in. Otherwise, he is just
a monster who deserves nothing more
than a lifetime in jail.
After they shared a kiss, Lolita teases
Humbert by flaunting her loss of
innocence and taunting his desires. She
worries Humbert because he does not
want to get found out because it would
ruin his reputation. When her mother
dies, however, she is dependent on
Humbert, which keeps her quiet.
Foss 2
Nabokov, through Humbert, disguises
the dark events of pedophilia and
murder with his charming writing.
Although I know these are morally
wrong, I still feel sympathy for the
torment and regret Humbert goes
through near the end of his story
because of his convincing words of
defense. I wonder how his life would
have ended if Lolita chose him over
Dick or if she never got kidnapped by
Quilty.
It is unfortunate that girls were taught
to be submissive during this era. I am
thankful that we have equal
opportunities in our education so that I
can pursue my interests and work in a
field that reflects them. I wonder if
Humbert would still love Lolita if she
became more educated and
independent.
I find it frustrating that he acts innocent
and defends himself, which makes me
want to believe him. However, I know
that everything he does is wrong and
should be stopped. I think Nabakov did
this on purpose to make the reader
question their morals, which helps
make Lolita a work of literary art.
Although she seems to have lost her
innocence after sleeping with a boy at
camp, she is still a child who does not
understand the emotional connection
that is required between lovers. Kids
her age are supposed to be attracted to
other kids their age, flirt, and go on
dates. Instead, Humbert traps her in his

“She it was to whom ads
were dedicated: the ideal
consumer, the subject and
object of every foul poster”
(148).
“There she would be, a
typical kid picking her nose
while engrossed in the
lighter sections of a
newspaper, as indifferent to
my ecstasy and if it were
something she had sat upon,
a shoe, a doll, the handle of
a tennis racket, and was too
indolent to remove” (165).
“Mr. Humberson, let us put
it this way: the position of a
star is important, but the
most practical spot for an
icebox in the kitchen may be
even more important to the
budding housewife” (178).
“Lo was enraged by all
this--called me a lousy crook
and worse--and I would
probably have lost my
temper had I not soon
discovered, to my sweetest
relief, that what really
angered her was my
depriving her not of a
specific satisfaction but of a
general right” (186).
Humbert finds Americain culture
repulsive. He does not enjoy the way
propaganda is used to sell to
feeble-minded Americans who take
advantage of their privileges. Lolita
reminds him of this culture because she
always gets what she asks for and does
not give her choices a second thought.
Lolita does not understand the purpose
or significance of sex. Humbert does it
out of love for Lolita, but she treats it
as an unimportant event. This ruins her
understanding of what love should be.
She does not know about the emotional
connection one feels with their partner
or the pleasure from recreational coitus.
This was the headmaster of Beardsley
where they teach girls how to become
wives. Humbert is not a fan of the
school’s education. He knows Lolita is
capable of grasping tough concepts,
plus he is against sparking interests of
marriage or motherhood in her.
Lolita realizes that she wants to do
what other girls her age do: perform in
plays, attend parties, and hang out with
boys. Humbert is appalled and tries to
forbid her from all of her interests, but
doing so created an indignant Lolita
who refuses to give him pleasure. She
learns how to manipulate Humbert,
which is a gained trait of intelligence
that appeals to him. He becomes a little
Foss 3
web of pedophilia, depriving her of a
normal childhood.
Many Americans buy into
advertisements easily. With marketing
everywhere, it makes it simple to find
an item that is instantly desired. The
item usually gives an ego boost to the
buyer, which, in moderation, can be
healthy. A strong ego gives one
motivation to work or compete better.
Americans idealize the perfect body.
With movies and television, people
always see a thin, symmetrical person,
who is deemed attractive. Also, since
pornography is so readily available,
young minds get the wrong idea of
what people should look and act like to
find a partner. In recent years, however,
more body types are being accepted in
our society, which gives me hope for
the future.
This school, in the process of creating
the perfect wife, is turning girls into
drones, like in The Stepford Wives
(2004). Most of its students will
graduate not knowing as much math,
science, and English as young men do,
giving them an unfair disadvantage. I
am glad Humbert believes in Lolita’s
abilities.
Humbert’s lack of swear words appeals
to the reader. He uses this to portray
himself as a respectable character.
When someone swears in literature, it
is because the character wants to hide
something or is scared of something.
By refraining from vulgar language, he
seeks a deeper interpretation to
describe his story.

“We had really seen nothing.
And I catch myself thinking
today that our long journey
had only defiled with a
sinuous trail of slime the
lovely, trustful, dreamy,
enormous country that by
then, in retrospect, was no
more to us than a collection
of dog-eared maps” (175-6).
“We would prefer not to
have known at all our
neighbor, the retired hot-dog
stand operator, if it turns out
he has just produced the
greatest book of poetry his
age has seen” (265).
“And presently I was driving
through the drizzle of the
dying day, with the
windshield wipers in full
action but unable to cope
with my tears” (280).
“It was a silent, soft,
formless tussle on the part of
two literati, one of whom
was utterly disorganized by
a drug while the other was
handicapped by a heart
condition and too much gin”
(299).
more lenient towards Lolita, allowing
her plays and parties with boys.
Humbert, blind with his infatuation of
Lolita, does not fully experience the
beauty of the county during their trip
across the United States. The purpose
of the trip was to distract Lolita as he
pursues his prurient acts.
Humbert is saying that people are not
always how they appear; all people
have different backgrounds that are
unknown to us. For example, Humbert,
on the outside, is a well-educated
writer. On the inside, he is a monster
who ruined Lolita’s childhood and
murdered Quilty in a raging vengeance.
Humbert drives to Lolita’s new house
and meets her husband. He is losing his
mind because he wants to be with her,
but he is left completely heartbroken
when he is rejected by Lolita. Humbert
goes mad and drives erratically to
After lolita dies in childbirth, Humbert
dies of heart failure. His heart failure
represents his broken heart after Lolita
turns down his offer. This forces the
reader to question whether they should
forgive Humbert out of sympathy or his
work of art, or whether they should
hold him accountable for ruining many
lives.
Foss 4
It is unfortunate that Humbert
somewhat ruined road trips for Lolita.
Road trips are a classic way to spend
time with family, and many memories
are made during them. Neither
Humbert nor Lolita remember much
about their trip, even though they
traveled across the entire country.
Most of the time, people do not want to
know the dirtiest secrets of others
because it undermines our faith in
humanity, so we protect ourselves with
ignorance. This ignorance, however,
can make people cowards since they
will not know how to deal with others
with a bad habit or obsession.
During the song “On My Own” from
Les Misérables, it begins to rain as
Éponine cries about her love. In both
scenes, the character loves someone
who does not love them back. I can
relate to this feeling after healing from
a broken heart over the summer.
Humbert’s death connects to Lolita’s
not only in a literary way: according to
Mic.com, the “risk of death during the
first six months after losing a spouse
increased by 50%.” This is
scientifically known as Broken Heart
Syndrome. It is likely that he suffered
from this, and adding to all his other
health problems, it resulted in death.