Blog Post 7-Close Reading #3

Lolita

“ ‘I want you to leave your incidental Dick, and this awful whole, and come to live with me, and die with me, and everything with me..if you refuse you will still get your...trousseau’...I handed her an envelope with [400] dollars in cash and a check for three hundred thousand six hundred more”

This is said by Humbert Humbert after visiting Lolita. This is after Lolita ditches Humbert and after she is married and is pregnant. She has asked Humbert to giver her some money as she is poor. When he gets to her house, he asks her to come with him back to his place. This shows that Humbert Humbert still loves Lolita and misses her even though she has been away fro 2 years. Due to this love and care for her he gives her money. However, it is not a little money, it is 400 thousand (equal to $3,544,320 today). That is a ton of money. It was probably most of Humbert’s savings.

For someone to give away that much money and not even knowing they will get what they want, they must care. This shows ultimate love to give away 3 million dollars to Lolita knowing she might not come back. He loves her so much and is willing to lose money for her.

 
This is the scene from the 1962 movie Lolita.

Scarlet Letter

“People of New England...I stand upon the spot where, seven years since, I should have stood; here, with this woman...Lo, the scarlet letter in which Hester wears!...But there stood one in the midst of you, at whose brand of sin and infamy ye have not shuddered!..Thou, too, hast deeply sinned!” (233-234)

This quote is being said by the minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, as admits to the people of New England that  it was him who had an affair with Hester and he is the father of Pearl. During this time, the physician, Roger Chillingworth is very mad and annoyed with him as he is Hester’s long lost husband. He also does not want the minister to admit that he had the affair. I think that it is because he doesn’t warn it to affect Pearl of Hester. The minister admits this as he is very ill and feels very bad. I know that he feels bad as he says “But there stood one in the midst of you, at whose brand of sin and infamy ye have not shuddered!” He realizes that he should have also been in trouble and blamed for what happened. Since he is a very religious man he asks God for forgiveness and admits that he too has sinned.

Unfortunately after admitting this, Arthur Dimmesdale dies. The townspeople also see a scarlet “A” on his chest. I know that after this part, Roger Chillingworth does not seek revenge and dies. After Hester Prynne dies some years later, she is buried next to Roger Chillingworth.

 
This is the scene when Arthur Dimmesdale admits to being the one Hester had an affair with. Shortly after, he dies. This is from the 1995 movie.