"Lolita"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the novel "Lolita," by Vladimir Nabokov, which is a story about a pedophile and his relationship with a young 12 year old girl. It particularly focuses on one of the primary themes in the work which has often gone overlooked; that of love. The paper follows this theme through the story and explains how it influences the events that take place.

From the Paper:

"Humpert loved Lolita for what she was and what she represented, but not as a person. He exerted power and influence over her to meet his own selfish desires; not because he truly loved her. But in this way, love is a major theme of Lolita. Love is the driving force of the work as love is the cause of the madness and the actions which follow. However, it is a love gone wrong, a love tainted with obsession. Humpert loves an idea and loves nothing else. He is mad and his love is an obsessive kind that drives all the major characters towards dismay endings. Thus Lolita is perhaps also a warning on the dangers of unjust love, the power of love, and the often indiscernible differences between love and obsession. Lost must be giving, and Humpert is always taking. He cannot truly have loved Lolita for he wanted to put her to sleep and kill her mom to achieve his goals. But his desire for the girl is something more than ordinary and can be construed as love, and even the product of a previous love that ended in tragedy. Humpert therefore is a character who is caught the middle of madness, love, obsession, and a twisted perspective on life. But because his love is false, it does not make Lolita something other than a love story. Even at times when Humpert finds love with Lolita, it does last and his obsessive nature means he always unfulfilled until the very end."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Nabokov, Vladimir Vladimirohivic. Lolita New York: Putnman, 1955.

More papers on "Lolita":

• Book Review # 92112 : "The Narrative Frame of Nabokov's "Lolita"
• Analytical Essay # 121158 : "Lolita in Tehran"
• Dissertation or Thesis # 147391 : "Symbols and Ambiguities in Nabokov's "Lolita"
• Analytical Essay # 55960 : "Lolita"

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