"Lolita" pages 3-62

I first off want to start out by saying that I was appalled at this book. Never would I read anything like this if I didn’t have to. I do not enjoy reading about perverse men and little girls. My time would be better spent reading a quality biography about some general in WWII. But this is only my opinion. There must be something to learn in studying such a work, I guess. So I will do my best to get through this so to move on to better reading.
The story starts off with a very graphic sex scene between Humbert, the main character, and his (very important here!) girl friend, Annabel, of the same age. They are around 12 years old at this time. They are in a garden near her house. But they are unable to finish because they are interrupted by her family. Annabel ends up dying of typhus only four months after this event. Humbert then goes on to share his ventures with the opposite sex. He obviously is obsessed with sex. During his college years he frequently has sex with prostitutes. On page 15 the start of the third paragraph Humbert states “While a college student, in London and Paris, paid ladies sufficed me”. But throughout his accent to adulthood Humbert is obsessed with what he likes to call nymphets. These are very young girls probably in their early teens that he seems to think are sex objects. My opinion of this matter is that Humbert has very painful memories of his failed attempt to make love to Annabel and therefore feels that he must go back to correct whatever mistake he made. This is why girls that are of the same age as Annabel are so sexually desirable to him. Until he consummates his relationship with a young girl he will always be longing for satisfaction.
Humbert started a “real” relationship with a woman that was close to his age by the name of Valeria. One scene that really stood out to me in their relationship was when they broke up. Humbert was on the verge of moving both of them to America. But while getting the necessary papers for Valeria she suddenly refused to go with him. Humbert then discovers that Valeria has been having an affair with another man. They were on the sidewalk with a taxi slowly following them. By “chance” Humbert calls this taxi so that they do not create a commotion on the sidewalk. But he then comes to find out that Valeria’s lover is actually the taxi driver that just happened to be nearby. They all three go to a café where they all meet. Later Humbert entertains the idea of killing Valeria but decides to only hurt her which he never has the chance to do. As soon as they were divorced which delayed Humbert’s plans, he moved to New York. This is really where the story starts.
Humbert wants to move the country and finds a residence that ideally has a young girl in it. But this family’s house burns down and therefore he is forced to move in with a lady by the name of Charlotte Haze, who is a widow along with her young daughter. On page 39 Humbert expresses his excitement to discover his fortune that he will be living with a young girl. “I was still walking behind Mrs. Haze through the dining room when, beyond it, there came a sudden burst of greenery-“the piazza,” sang out my leader, and then, without the least warning, a blue sea-wave swelled under my heart and, from a mat in a pool of sun, half-naked, kneeling, turning about on her knees, there was my Riviera love peering at me over dark glasses.” This description of his first impression is filled with sexual thoughts, especially when he only seems to be thinking about her body. On the same page Humbert talks about the moment that his glance “slithered” over her body. This really creeps me out! When I have kids I am going to be ultra careful who I trust to be in presence with my children.
Humbert goes on to write his feelings for the little girl, whose name is Lolita, in his diary. At the end of my reading for today it finishes with Humbert trying to seduce Lolita in the living room on the couch. With the girl unaware Humbert plays out his sick fantasy. On page 61 Humbert shows his relief that the girl is completely unaware of his advances toward her. While she is on the phone with her mother he thinks “Blessed be the Lord, she had noticed nothing!” This makes me so sick because he uses the Lord’s name in the same statement in which he is thinking about molesting a young girl.