Vladimir Nabokov Lolita Falling in love Love at first sight Unrequited love Secret love Obsession Jealousy Loss

and grief Plot Summary the novel is narrated by Humbert Humbert from his prison cell. Due to this it may be inferred that the writer is writing a form of plea, from his perspective. Yet when reading the novel it does not appear as though it is trying to persuade an audience that HH s actions were wrong. He does not try to justify what he has done, only narrate. HH has an obsession with young girls whom he calls nymphets. He dates this obsession back to the death of his childhood sweetheart Annabel. It could be argued that HH s love after the death of Annabel is the reason for his love of young girls, trying to replace his young Annabel. This therefore is an example of love after death and the destruction that love can cause to ones self and those around them. Humbert Humber has an unsuccessful marriage to Valeria which leads him to rent a room with Charlotte Haze, a widow. He meets her 12 year old daughter Lolita whom he becomes infatuated with. This infatuation leads HH to marry Charlottte Haze in order to be close to her daughter, Lolita. When charlotte reads Humberts diary she runs across a road in shock and is killed by a passing car. Humbert picks up Lolita from summer camp and takes her to hotels across America. He gives her sleeping pills so he can molest her without her knowledge but she initiates the sex. Eventually they settle down in New England town where Lolita is enrolled in school. He is extremely protective over her and only lets her take part in a school play, directed by Clare Quilty. This protection demonstrates HHs obsession and jealousy caused by his love for Lolita. Before the opening night Lolita and HH have an argument and Lolita says how she wants to return to the road. HH becomes paranoid about a following car. Lolita falls ill and for the first time in years HH is forced to spend the night away from her. One night Lolita disappears from the hospital and HH is told how an Uncle checked her out. When Lolita turns 17 HH receives a letter from her telling him that she is married, pregnant and in desperate need of money. HH agrees to give her money in exchange for the name of her abductor. He discovers that acquaintance of Charlottes and director of the school play, Clare Quilty, abductor her and attempted to make her a star in one of his pornographic films. When she refused he threw her out. She then worked odd jobs to earn some money until meeting her husband who knows nothing of her past. HH asks Lolita to leave her husband and go away with him. She refuses and he breaks down in tears. In revenge he kills Quilty at his mansion. He is then arrested for driving on the wrong side of the road. He states how the novel may only be published after he and Lolita have died. Quotations But in my arms she was always Lolita

"All at once we were madly, clumsily, shamelessly, agonizingly in love with each other." "I broke her spell by incarnating her in another" "I knew that I had fallen in love with Lolita forever; but I also knew she would not forever be Lolita" "I loved you. I was a pentapod monster, but I loved you. I was despicable and brutal, and turpid, and everything, mais je t'aimais, je t'aimais." Sex is but the ancilla of art