Let's be brutally honest here. No holding back the surge of emotions that rushed through my thoughts when I was reading the story.
Lolita. Love of a young girl.
It had occurred to me as somewhat erotic before I read a book. After all, at my age, liking girls aged 14 to 16 is perfectly normal.
It never crossed my mind that, looking forward, an adult showing the same behaviorism is different.
Lolita is a sick, disgusting book. I finally said it. Yes, you heard me, disgusting. Such a word full of connotations that symbolizes the bad and the vices. I did not want to use it initially, after all, it is a beautiful literary piece of art and I did not want anyone to think it is a poor novel. The theme, more accurately put, is dirty, forbidden and evil; not the words used.
Let's just start with the story. I was lead to believe and sympathize with Humbert Humbert, the main character under the charms of the author, Vladimir Nabokov's impressive and mind blowing use of English (To think his first language is Russian!). Humbert's loss of his childhood sweetheart, perhaps has made his desire for a partner near his age stay in permanent stasis.
As luck would have it, he was somehow put to live with Charlotte Haze and her daughter Dolores Haze. You might want to stop reading now, because from now on, it's disgusting.
Finding Dolores Haze looking strikingly similar to his childhood sweetheart, combined with his lust for young children (his expectations of a female might have stayed the same, but he has changed and grown, lust intensified), blown his 'love' for her into sky high proportions. He relieved himself when she sat on his lap...erotic but so wrong.
Her mother falls in love with Humbert of his good looks and scholar background, telling him to marry her or leave. Humbert stayed.
As fate would have it; myself not quite believing the luck Humbert had (sort of ridiculous storyline here), Charlotte dies in a car accident after reading Humbert's diary of his secret confessions of his lust towards Dolores.
Dolores, which he also calls Lo, now has no close relatives and only Humbert to depend on. After collecting her from her camp, Humbert kept the news of her mother's death mum.
On a way traveling to Charlotte's hospital that Humbert lied to Charlotte about; stopping at a motel; Dolores talks of her sexual adventures to Humbert.
Dolores, trying to be playful and teasing, tries to seduce Humbert, thinking the adult would have the restrains to control himself and comment about the seriousness of the issue (Lo was just trying to be playful even though she knows the scolding might come, happens to all of us doesn't it?)
Humbert copulates with Lo. He later confesses about Lo's mother's death. Humbert now has full control of Lo's life and uses her.
Lo, after a long warning and scary talk of what would happen to her if she told officials of the events, now know she is trapped.
Through the eyes of Humbert, I was deceived that Humbert loved her. His use of language was so incredible that, when Lo said she was raped, I still thought Lo loved Humbert and said it jokingly. Perhaps initially Humbert did love Lo, but afterwards he showed intolerance of Lo's personality and was bent on controlling Lo's life. Later on, even suspect her of betraying him that he tore off her clothing to check.
I wouldn't spoil the rest of the story, it's too melancholic to speak of. One quote by Lo in the end describes how her life had went 'He broke my heart, you simply broke my life.'. Oh, how I wished I could rescue Lo and not believe any of the monster's words.
Such a beautiful masterpiece... In order for one to read it, you need a level of maturity (which I admit that I am not there yet) to understand. The hurt that Lo seems to receive is all covered up and camouflaged by Humbert's skillful play of words.
Read it. You will surely be able to understand the ingenuity of the novel.
No comments:
Post a Comment