Lolita Passage

Part 1, middle of chapter 4

“She trembled and twitched as I

kissed the corner of her parted lips and the hot lobe of her

ear. A cluster of stars palely glowed above us, between the

silhouettes of long thin leaves; that vibrant sky seemed as

naked as she was under her light frock. I saw her face in the

sky, strangely distinct, as if it emitted a faint radiance of its

own….”

The morality of Lolita, in my opinion can be taken in several different ways. Parts of it are shocking. Some parts are easily coined as pornographic. Most parts are usually in some way immoral. I chose this passage because I feel it best reflects the more controversial themes and values. It’s also the most vivid of the sexual scenes in the story. Through out the novel you get the impression the Nabokov is messing with us. The novel is a joke, like some sort of dark comedy. It was his willingness to push the envelope in the context of the story that really drove that idea home.

In this passage we’re talking about Humberts first nymphet, Annebell Leigh. It is later mentioned that her death is attributes to his pedophilia. Not only that, its then said that he believes that Lolita is the physical reincarnation of Annebell. Now, the book could probably be viewed crudely for it’s openness to the idea of having sex with young woman (very young) and have it still be considered love. It is also my belief that Nabokov didn’t mean to make the novel about pedophilia. It’s just a product of the tragic-ness of the man’s desire. Desire is a huge theme in novel. Another reason I chose this quote was that is was also the first example of that theme.