I have realized in the latest chapters of Lolita
Humbert Humbert is becoming worse. Humbert is paying Lolita large amounts of
money and begging her to interact sexually with him when she wants no part of
it. It is sad to see how desperate he is and when Lolita escapes his
sadness increases. He is left with nothing but her old clothes and hats he
eventually donates. Humbert is left to gallivant the world by himself because
Lolita is no longer his pet and part of his life. He then finds a woman,
surprisingly not a nymphet named Rita. Humbert describes her as a desperate
woman as well, and that she would be with anyone if given the chance. “I
daresay she would have given herself to any pathetic creature or fallacy, an
old broken tree or a bereaved porcupine, out of sheer chumminess and compassion”.
(pg 258) Although, she is desperate and wild considering she wants to engage in Russian roulette with Humbert, could this be better for Humbert? Is he actually
moving on from his Nymphet phase? Will he truly ever get over Lolita? Or could
this relationship be just a re-bound to help him move on from Lolita?
"Could this relationship be just a re-bound to help him move on from Lolita?" I think the answer to the question is yes. I do not think Humbert has feelings for Rita because I do not think Humbert will ever truly get over his feelings for Lolita. I feel like Humbert's relationship with Rita is his unsuccessful attempt at getting his mind off of Lolita. Towards the end of the novel Lolita sends a letter to Humbert asking for money and Humbert then begs Lolita to be with him again. He states, "Come just as you are. And we shall live happily ever after." At this point, it is evident that Humbert still has feelings for Lolita.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read that Humbert had found a new relationship I thought that maybe he would finally move on from Lolita. I assumed that his obsession with Lolita and nymphets were finally coming to a halt, but I was wrong. Rita was nothing but a rebound. I think it is possible that if Lolita had never written Humbert a letter he could have eventually stopped obsessing over her, but part of Humbert would never let Lolita go. Humbert can never truly be happy with Rita if he is still stuck on the past. But, I do believe Humbert has moved on from his nymphet phase. First, he chooses to be with Rita, which was the first indication that he's moving on. But the real proof that he has moved on is the fact that he loves Lolita even when she is no longer a nymphet.
ReplyDeleteI do not think Humbert’s love, or obsession, with Lolita will ever be over, but I, also, do not believe that Rita was a rebound. Yes, both Rita and Humbert have lost the people they loved, but I think there is more to their relationship than the need for companionship. Rita is the only woman Humbert has dated that he has not criticized, besides Lolita. With Charlotte, Valeria, and even the prostitutes Humbert has sex with, H.H. is belligerent to them, which is not the case with Rita. I think Humbert might genuinely like (maybe love) Rita, but Lolita is his love. From his perceptive, Lolita and Humbert belong together, which is why he wrote the book, to immortalize his nymphet love.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Rita was the ultimate rebound for Humbert. After being so deeply in love with Lolita, I feel that there is no way Humbert could actually have sincere feelings for another woman, especially another woman that is not a nymphet. I find it even harder to believe that Humbert loves Rita after the tragic way that Lolita left him. Humbert dating Rita reminds me of a common saying that states, “The only way to get over someone is to find someone else” and Humbert has proven to be very guilty of that quote. Sometimes I still wonder if Humbert is even over Annabel and if Lolita is just the perfect person to take Annabel’s place. In that case would Humbert be using Lolita as rebound? And is Humbert even genuinely in love with Lolita? I think it can be possible that Lolita’s nymphet characteristics manifest qualities almost identical to Annabel and this is why Humbert is so in love with her. Either way Rita is merely a distraction. Humbert comes across as a lonely man who needs someone to love him and satisfy his sexual desires and Humbert in turn, uses Rita to fill this void.
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