Blog #8

Blog #8

What did you learn from the experience?

-I learned a little about control . Like i should take control of myself rather then letting someone else control me .

How did your understanding of the lens change throughout reading? What about your understanding of the novel?

-I had various  reactions to this book but i knew i wasn't all that interested in how a pedophiles mind worked . I understood the novel pretty well . I still do not think its that great of a book.

What are some things you got from the novels that you think you wouldn’t have gotten if you hadn’t been focusing on your lens?

-I dont think I would of gotten the overall message given from Humbert .

What are some things you got from the novels that you think you might have missed as the result of focusing on your lens?

-I think i missed the sense of feminism because i didn't really catch that , but i'm interested in how other people with that lens got to interpret that .

What are the benefits of using a critical lens? What are the downsides?

-Benefits are that you have a clear understanding of a specific lens the downside you only focus on that one lens and you ignore the rest.

How did your beliefs change (if at all) about your topic as the result of this project?

-They did not change

What did you learn about yourself overall as a result of working on this project?

- I know I do not agree to what Humbert did .

Blog#7

Blog#7

I am done with the book and have watched the movie made in 1997, I really liked the movie more than the book . It was really simple and general when the book had more detail and description . But for some reason i'm more of a visual learner because I think I understand what is happening more . At the end of the book , Humbert is wrecked emotionally and physically because he now has a murder case and lost the love of his life. Humbert just is screwed up at this point . He has no where to go . He soon is incarcerated in prison following the murder of Quilty . And is never going to see Lolita again . I can't say I learned from this book . I think alot of people have controversy over this book just because its about a pedophiles life. Other then that I think the book is pretty basic and i got bored in the last few pages . I liked the way the movie was plotted , and how the characters played because it made it a little better then the book . All in all, it was a good read , but not the best .

Blog #6

Blog #6

“It now came in a relaxed flow.He was the only man she had ever been crazy about .what about Dick? Oh, Dick was a lamb , they were quite happy together,but she meant something different. And I had never counted , of course?”(Pg.272)

At this point in the book , Humbert was on the lookout for Lolita and after some time he had found her . He finds her pregnant and married with this man named Dick . Dick was a veteran and had lost part of his hearing during the war , but other then that he was a hard working man and a perfect husband to “Dolly”. Dolly was the new nickname that Dick had came up for Lolita . they seemed very happy with each other but Humbert had still not gotten over the fact that he had lost Lolita for good. He tried one last time to get her back and offered her money and a chance to return with him to a home where they can grow up with each other . Lolita declines his offer and explains that she is finally happy and that Dick treated her well . She also was carrying his kid . Humbert accepted that and still ended up giving her the money because he noticed that Lolita was poor and not in the best economical state . The money he has given her was the most of his savings . Shows how much he still had loved her because he gave up most of his life's earnings to his Lolita . Humbert now has no hope of having Lolita ever again .

Blog#5

Blog#5

“Everything was fine . There, in the lobby,she sat,deep in an overstuffed blood-red armchair,deep in a lurid movie magazine. A fellow of my age in tweeds(the genre of the place had changed overnight to a spurious country -squire atmosphere) was staring at my Lolita over his dead cigar and stale newspaper.”

This is where another pedophile is first presented into the story ,Claire Quilty .He is a successful playwright and child pornographer. He grows interest in Lolita on night and stalks her until he kidnapped her from Humbert and keeps her for himself . Quilty had the same fetish for nymphettes as you can tell from being interested in child pornography . He literally stalks Humbert and Lolita for a long period of time before he convinces her to go with him and live in a mansion . He drives Humbert crazy because Humbert can see that Lolita also has an interest in him and gets jealous because he knows that quilty is a successor;lolita knows that as well . One day out the cuts Lolita just left Humbert and he loses it and goes on an adventure to find her . The whole time he was on a roadtrip with Lolita he realizes someone was following him but thought it was the cops . He then knows the person following him was in fact Quilty . Humbert goes as far as committing murder from the jealousy and hate that Lolita caused him to feel . Humbert goes to his mansion , tortures him and ultimately shoots him dead . Just to come down to the fact that Lolita was not around . She had left somewhere else . Lolita is destructive and cruel because she leaves with nothing left behind . She leaves Humbert with hope of settling down with her . And there goes Humbert looking for her .

Blog #4

Blog #4

“Are you bothered by Romantic associations?”queried my wife--in allusion to her first surrender. “Hell no,” said I . “I just wonder where will you put your daughter when you get your guest or your maid.” “Ah,” said Mrs.Humbert, dreaming,smiling,drawing out the “Ah” simultaneously with the rise of one eyebrow and a soft exhalation of breath . “Little Lo, I'm afraid, does not enter the picture at all , at all . Little Lo goes straight from camp to a good boarding school with strict discipline and some sound religious training . And then --Beardsley College. I have it all planned out, you need not worry .” (pg. 82-83)

In this quote , Humberts wife is telling him that Lolita will be going off to camp with strict discipline and good education . Mrs. Humbert has this eery feeling that Lolita was trying to seduce Humbert, and she was right . This is why she tries to completely isolate Humbert for herself . Lolita does not really agree with going but  is forced to . Leaving Humbert with the first real sign of a sexual relationship , a long kiss before she left. This is what drove Humbert nuts when she had left because he knew that his wife was trying to separate them . Humbert feels as if the love of his life is slowly leaving him . Mrs. Humbert actually knew and accused Lolita for liking all of her boyfriends and husbands . She seen Lolita as a distraction in her relationships . But sending her away was not going to keep Humbert from getting to Lolita because Humbert would follow her to the end of the earth if he had to . Later on in the book while Lolita is off in camp , Mrs . Humbert finds Humbert's diary .Which had all of his deepest secrets in . Mrs.Humbert confronted him and called him sick and disgusting because in his little book he wrote about his obsession as well . He also writes about how much he dislikes his wife , calls her a animal as well . He really does not like her . But in all seriousness I felt like Humbert was forced to marry her as well , or else he would of been homeless out on the street . It wasn't right for mrs.Humbert to do that in the first place . All of this lead to her death . She leaves the house running out because she didn't know what to do . As she got to the street  a car runs her over .

Blog #3

Blog #3

Reader response:

My personal beliefs on what Humbert is dealing with, ideally just being a pedophile is wrong . I don't think this book has in any way shifted my opinion .But I do know that his young girlfriend died in the middle of his perfect relationship .This really affected him for the rest of his life but still is not an excuse to prey on little girls . “Lolita, light of my life, fire of my lions. My sin , my soul .”I know sounds scary right . It's like he accepts he is a pedophile and lives his life like nothings wrong . I do sometimes feel sorry for Humbert , because he has an obsession that he can't control , but it wouldn't be called an obsession if he could . Its also a very uncomfortable fetish to hide or deal  with because he is always being teased by Lolita. I grew this hate for Lolita because I felt she was the reason of Humbert's breakdown and sentimental destruction . She was really selfish in a sense that she knew Humberts weakness can make her control him . This is why I believe Humbert's character is really weak .He is very vulnerable to Lolita and he makes her the center of his life . Everything evolves around Lolita. I really think it's an exaggeration from the author for Humbert to go to this extent,But I know not everyone is made of stone . Everyone has a weakness , but people learn how to control it . This book has taught me that it is very important to control your weaknesses because if you don't , it can take over and control your life ; and you're the only person who should be able to control your own life. Personally I think I am in control of my life . I have a strong grasp on my weaknesses and  I don't have many ,but surely have some .

Blog #2

Blog #2 :

“I find it most difficult to express with adequate force that flash , that shiver, that impact of passionate recognition. In the course of the sun-shot moment that my glance slithered over the kneeling child (her eyes blinking over those stern dark spectacles--the little Herr Doktor who was to cure me of all my aches)while I passed her in my adult disguise(a great big handsome hunk of movie-land manhood, the vacuum of my soul managed to suck in every detail of her bright beauty , and these I checked against the features of my dead bride.” (pg.39)

In this passage of Lolita , Humbert first discovered the “nymphet” of his dreams. He states that Lolita reminds her of his old lover Annabel who had passed away by illness years ago . Ever since Humbert lost his Annabel he was strongly in need of that “young” love for it was what he desired the most . In this moment of the book Humbert is touring the house he was going to be renting in for a while because his other house had burnt down . The tour was given by Mrs.Haze , Lolita’s mother , whom he decides to marry just to stay close to Lolita. Although Humbert had no feeling whatsoever for Lolitas mom , he seemed to play his role as a husband very well . Mrs. Haze had no idea that Humbert's real intentions were . This quote is really disturbing to me ,but it was the perfect quote to explain my reactions and what I personally think of Humbert .Humbert seems to be mentally unstable , as which he recognizes in himself . He has this attraction to kids which is completely wrong in any occasion .But  the funny thing is he realizes his problem early on and knows  what he was doing was morally wrong but can't help himself in any way . He holds a strong image as a professional smart adult , but in his mind , what he thinks about sounds as weak as a kids mindset towards his obsession .