“Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul.” (Nabokov 9). Vladimir Nabokov’s language in Lolita displays the enchanting power of language in its most innate form. In the classic dark love story of Humbert Humbert, the pedophile, and Dolores Haze, the naïve child, Nabokov 's choice in syntax encapsulates the audience’s attention from line to line, readers only hoping to understand the complexity of a character such as Humbert Humbert. The usage of literary devices aid in building Humbert Humbert’s character in Lolita as his thought process and narrative exposes itself through poetic diction.
Lolita utilizes the narrative perspective of the protagonist, Humbert Humbert, who explains the story of a thirty seven year old man and a twelve-year-old girl in a complicated relationship. The story involves an European intellectual Humbert Humbert on a journey around the United States in search of his love, Lolita, who later runs away in order to marry another. The subtlety of love in this novel is disguised behind what is considered one of society 's most unacceptable obsessions: paedophilia. This deviant obsession is the primary reason many consider the novel to be ‘offensive, horrifying, and disgusting.’ (Risha DeGamia/Sarah Yoo). The aberrant plot established by Nabokov grabs attention of readers and forces them to explore what can be considered the ‘other side’ of this novel, in order to have an understanding and a new found appreciation for the classic love story.
Humbert was a 40 something British professor of French literature. He searched for a room to live in, and Charlotte Haze, a widowed, sexually frustrated mother, invited him to stay at her house. He declined until seeing her daughter, Dolores, affectionately called Lolita, with whom Humbert fell in love. To be close to Lolita, Humbert accepted Charlotte’s offer and became a lodger in the Haze household, and then became the stepfather of her. When Charlotte knew the truth, she run outside, got hit by a speeding car, and died.
Lolita opens with a foreword by the fictional Dr. Ray, and is presented as a confessional for a murder written by the protagonist, Humbert Humbert. Because it is written and told in Humbert’s view, he maintains a sense of power over the other characters in terms of storytelling. The reader is only told the context of events through Humbert’s perspective, or at least what he wants the reader to believe. As the writer of the confessional, Humbert is able to alter names to his liking, or perhaps keep the integrity of the name. Naming is one of the mechanisms demonstrated through his power as a
The concept of a hero and villain are not prevalent within the novel, because that would imply a winner or a loser. The narrator, who the reader can assume shares similar ideologies to Vonnegut, explains how he does not believe that war should be glorified nor does it warrant any victors. Instead, Vonnegut focuses his attention on the idea of an outcast or an underdog. In a way every character has these qualities, Billy is made to seem crazy by his daughter, Montana is extremely sexualized, and Weary is damaged and alone. All of these characters are struggling because they are trying to make sense of what they have endured (this concept of soul searching, and going within one’s subconcious is seen metaphorically in the constant appearance of caves).
At first sight, they believe they are meant to be. But, in reality, Romeo only loves Juliet for her beauty, Romeo described her as “ it seems she hangs upon the cheek of night as a rich jewel in an Ethiop 's ear- beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows as yonder lady o 're her fellows shows. (1.5,45-49)Romeo had only described her beauty and had fallen in love. After talking to each other they instantly kiss and fall in love.
At first it starts at her feet and goes up to her head. This shot is replicating what Humbert is seeing through his eyes and following and observing her body the way that Humbert is. This back and forth makes us feel like we are in Humberts world where in that moment the only two people on Earth are him and Lolita. Throughout all of this Lolita is reading a magazine to which the camera does a close up shot of. We see that it is a magazine of young Hollywood actors and actresses.
Obsessive love is really clear in these two poems. In nettles the father shows clearly throughout the poem his obsessive and protective love towards his son , and in The song of the old mother, the mother shows how obsessed she is towards her children, by showing that she always work for them really hard and she has to do for them everything even if it was the simplest thing ever. In Nettles the father loves and protects his son also in The song of the old mother, the mother works really hard for her children, both parents wants the best and would sacrifice anything for their kids. However differences in the obsessive love is also depicted in the two poems.In Nettles the father is unable to protect his child all the time due to the fact that
In William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 151 he writes, “Love is too young to know what conscience is;” (CITE). This quote describes the character, Mrs. Popov, in Anton Chekhov’s play, “The Brute”, because her moral standards changed in the name of love. This play is about how a woman stayed dedicated to her deceased husband, but ironically falls for the first man, Mr. Smirnov, she sees after seven months of being cooped up in her house. The theme of this drama is that love fades because by the end of the play she’s moved on with Mr. Smirnov. Chekhov uses symbolism, his title, and the character’s sudden epiphany to prove this theme throughout the story.
Two opposing views of the hero, Othello, and villain, Iago, have dominated criticism of Othello this century. On the one hand, A. C. Bradley presented positive analyses of Othello, whom he saw as blameless and not the primary responsibility for the tragedy. According to Bradley, Othello was ‘the most romantic figure among Shakespeare’s heroes … [he] does not belong to our world’. Bradley’s Othello is a man of mystery, exoticism and intense feeling, trustful, open, passionate but self-controlled, ‘so noble … [he] inspires a passion of mingled love and pity’ which none of Shakespeare’s other heroes is able to inspire. Bradley also argued that the newness of his marriage makes his jealousy credible.