Final writing-"Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov

In many countries, having a relationship with a child is illegal. Talking about it is also some kind of a taboo subject. In Vladimir Nabokov’s book, “Lolita”, the main character, Humbert Humbert falls deeply in love with a twelve years old nymphet (a nymphet is a girl between the age of nine and fourteen), Dolores Haze, which he calls Lolita. You may think that the main theme of the book is an adult abusing an innocent child but I think that it is also about "a minor having impaired the moral of an adult"(p150). In many parts of the story you can see that Dolores Haze takes advantage of the situation to get what she wants. At the beginning, Dolores is enjoying their affair, after a while, she is dealing with Humbert Humbert to get more money and to get other special permissions.

First, when she starts to have a relationship with Humbert Humbert, she doesn’t know what she’s getting involved in. She uses to like it. How could a grown man who is, by the way, deeply in love with this girl, resist her? The main character is already mentally deranged, even if he knows that in the society he is living now, it’s unacceptable to have an affair with a child.Dolores is not helping her case and it is clearly said in the book when she said : "Fact I’ve been revoltingly unfaithful to you(… )Well, you haven’t kissed me yet, have you?"(p.112). Dolores is provocative. She thinks it is a game and she is enjoying it. I am not saying that Humbert Humbert’s behaviour is right, but Dolores opened the door for that kind of situation.

Plus, in the second part of the story, Dolores is dealing with Humbert Humbert to get more money. She is using her stepfather’s feelings for her to make him comply with all her wishes, for example, when Humbert Humbert writes: “she proved to be a cruel negotiator whenever it was in her power to deny me certain life wrecking, strange, slow paradisal philtres without which I could not live more than a few days in a row, and which, because of the very nature of love’s languor, I could not obtain by force.”(p184) She knows how to take advantage of her “old man” and she knows how passionate his feelings for her are. Also, at the end of the story, after she has escaped from her stepfather’s claws, she only writes him a letter to ask him money. She doesn’t really care about him; all she cares about is getting enough funds to pay her debts and to move away to Alaska.

Furthermore, Dolores finds a way to get special permissions in exchange of some favours. Humbert Humbert is talking about it in his journal when he says: “I had just retracted some silly promise she had forced me to make in a moment of blind impatient passion”.( p169)I think this proves how Dolores Haze is manipulating her stepfather to subject to all her desires. She is already getting a lot of presents and various stuffs like clothes or accessories from Humbert Humbert and she is still taking advantage of the situation.

When all’s said and done, I think that the novel “Lolita” is not only tackling the subject of an adult abusing a minor, but it also talks about a young girl taking advantage of an adult who’s deeply in love with her. I don’t want you reader to believe that I think Humbert Humbert’s behaviour is correct and that child molesting is normal. Neither have I wanted you to think that I don’t see Humbert Humbert as a pedophile, but, you may understand that I just wanted to show you that, in this particular case, the so-called “innocent child” is not as innocent as many people will think.

639 words

NABOKOV, Vladimir, Lolita, New York, Vintage International Edition, 1995, 317p.

8 out of 10

- I read the entire book (for that we should all get a 10/10 ;-p )
- I think I spoke loud enough so that everybody could hear me.
- I don't think I made that much mistake in my pronounciation.

Introducing a literary essay

1- Biographical information
Poe; -Raised in a difficult environment
- Suffered from alcoholism

2- Quotation:
-"To be or not to be. That is the question."

3- Definition:
- Insanity is doing the same thing all the time and expecting different results.

4- Element of fiction
-Irony

5- Life experiences

6- Very brief plot summary

7- Philosophical concept
- Everyone seeks happiness,etc.

8- Historical background
- Civil War lasted for five years and saw 500 000 deaths...


Read the opening lines of student essays. Write the number of the suggestion that fits best.

___5__ Human emotions are complex and sometimes inexplicable, as are our behaviours. It is hard to understand why people often try to impose themselves on others, taking others` freedom, as the main the husband does in this story.

____7__ It is in human nature to seek freedom. And we have no control over the fact that we are born to be free. That is what the author realizes in this story.

____1__ The author was a young widow. And so she was able to understand the many emotions of a woman who learns that her husband has died unexpectedly.

__8____ In the story, the author presents the role and the feeling of women in the nineteenth century. As the author suggests, women at the time had very few rights.

___2___ ‘Free! Body and soul free!’ Every human being is born free, according to the author.

___3___ What is freedom? According to The American Heritage Dictionary Dictionary, freedom is ‘the capacity to exercise choice.’ In this story, the author presents the main character as a woman without freedom, one who could not make her own choices in life.

__6____ The story by the author shows us the unexpected reaction of the main character after she loses her husband. She grieves at first, then surprisingly becomes cheerful at the thought of her husband being around no longer.

___4___ Spring is the time of year when nature becomes vivid again after long months of cold, gray, sad weather. In this story, the spring scene offers a parallel to a personal situation.

LEL4

Total score 70%

Antonym: 50%
Synonym: 90%

LEL3

Reading comprehension: 75%
Inference: 73%
Main idea: 80%
Specific fact or detail: 75%

Total score: 75%

Sentence paterns- Using figurative language

Simile: "A figure of speech which involves a direct comparison between two unlike things, usually with the words like or as."

Example: The muscles on his brawny arms are strong as iron bands.
Its about as easy as striking a macth on a mirror.
Beating the Boston Bruins is about as easy as climbing Mt. Everest.

Metaphor: "A figure of speech which involves an implied comparison between two relatively unlike things using a form of be. The comparison is not announced by like or as. "

Example: The road was a ribbon of moonlight.

Type 1 A=B : The sky is a blue tapestry.
Type 2 A) verbs : The young goalie skyrocketed to fame but now he's crashed
B) Nouns: In playing the Bruins the Habs are hitting a stone wall.
C) Adjectives: Koivu used to have cat-like moves.
Kovalev used to have a tiger-like attitude.

Analogy: "The comparison of two pairs which have the same relationship. The key is to ascertain the relationship between the first so you can choose the correct second pair. Part to whole, opposites, results of are types of relationships you should find." (Extended metaphor or simile)

Example: The Grande Bibliotheque might hold the key to your future; it unlocks many doors to knowledge.

The humain brain resembles a computer; it always bug when you need it the most.

Allusion: "A brief reference to a person, event, or place, real or ficticious, or to a work of art. Casual reference to a famous historical or literary figure or event.An allusion may be drawn from history, geography, literature, or religion"

Example: His achilles heal was his lack of personality.
The firing of Carbonneau opened up a Pandora's box of problems for Gainey.
"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore". (means you're lost)
"She played Barbie to his Ken."

Personification: "A figure of speech which gives the qualities of a person to an animal, an object, or an idea. It is a comparison which the author uses to show something in an entirely new light, to communicate a certain feeling or attitude towards it and to control the way a reader perceives it."

Example: A brave handsome brute fell with a creaking rending cry--the author is giving a tree
human qualities.
"Dogs say cats love too much."
"Sunflowers nodded yes in the afternoon sun."
" The canadian Rockies vaulted into the sky."

Hyperbole/ Understatement: "An exaggerated statement used to heighten effect. It is not used to mislead the reader, but to emphasize a point."

Example: She’s said so on several million occasions
There where millions of people at his party last week.

(Understatement: "This device is used to understate the obvious. On a day of extreme weather, like it is really really hot, one might say, "Is it warm enough for you?" or on a very very cold day one might say, "Balmy out isn't it?". It's the opposite of Hyperbole)

Hills like white elephants- Bonk's interpretation

The story reveals the rhetorical and psychological manipulation in the way the man relates to the woman. The story revolves around the couple discussing an operation, wich seems to be an abortion.

Paragraph 1: The man consistently tries to convice her to get aborted. He says: "It's a simple operation."

Paragraph 2: The woman, Jig, is not sure what to do, but she seems to accept his proposal. For example, he says: " we'll be fine..."