Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov Analysis Essay

Vladimir Nabokovs choice of subject in his novel Lolita shocked readers, but that was fundamentally why he chose it. Beetz, states that Nabokovs give awayset inspiration for the novel came from a newspaper story about an ape who afterwardward months of coaxing by a scientist, produced the commencement ceremony drawing ever charcoaled by an wildcat this sketch makeed the bars of the poor tools cage Nabokov said. As many an(prenominal) critics let remarked Lolita is non about arouse but about hit the hay. Even more(prenominal) it is about fixation-and the destructive power it deal hold over the lives of its victims.(Beetz 2481) Also with out the shock value of Lolitas naughty subject of the love story surrounded by a man and his twelve socio-economic class old step daughter, the book around likely would not drive home choke as famous as it is. As Serafin states, Lolita became very popular underground after it was banned in Europe.The tabu of it beingness banned mixed with Nabokovs glitter wit made Lolita a sensation.(338) As Hart says in the 1950s peoples attitudes towards call down were still very puritanical and conservative.(158) By exploiting the scandalousness of the violation of the last sexual taboo, the descent between an adult and child, Nabokov was able to very show the extent of the power of infatuation, love and obsession. As Nabokov shows in his novel Humbert Humbert knows what he is doing to Lolita is wrong, but his burning desire for her drives him to relegate his own deterrent examples. He even apply morality to try and justify his actions, The moral thought in mortals is the dutyWe have to pay on mortal sense of beauty(Nabokov 300)In this inverted comma Humbert dilutes him self into persuasion he has a moral certificate of indebtedness to appreciate the beauty that is Lolita, when in naive realism he has a moral covenant to leave Lolita alone and allow her to have a normal childhood. Another quote in which Nabo kov shows how Humberts obsession controls him is the by-line I felt proud of myself. I had stolen the honey of a spasm without profaneing the morals of a minor. Absolutely no psychic trauma done.(Nabokov 65) In this quote he is referring to pleasuring him self while near Lolita with out in reality touching her.The very nature of his actions show his desperation and it soon become probable that Humberts twisted fantasies will not satiate his obsession for long and that he will act on it and impair the morals of a minor. By using the shock to readers of a human relationship between an adult and a child, Nabokov successfully was able to show the extent of what obsession and love can drive a person to do. Humberts obsession mastermind him to ruin the lives of himself, Clare Quilty and the childhood of Lolita. Nabokov choose his taboo subject for Lolita to increase the impact of the display cases actions as driven by his own infatuation.