I can't read any scenes with Lolita without anger. Every page to which she is seen as "promiscuous" or a "tease" I think, she is only twelve years old. A child. A child that is objectified by this man. A child, a child, a child. You cannot describe her any different. The thoughts and analyzations of my fellow classmates also struck me the wrong way. Many describe Lolita as a sexual deviant, or you could also say nymphet, as Humbert describes these girls. Again, this story is being told through the eyes of a man that is attracted to children. He is describing this girl as if she was an adult, and you have to remind yourself of the perspective you are reading from. Reading through the psychoanalytical lens, I tell myself this, and wonder if this was the aim of Vladimir Nabokov. To see how the readers will perceive Humbert and his perspective. To see if they take his perspective as fact, or remind themselves of his bias. In the beginning of the book he states that Lolita "seduced" him, but this is only due to his attraction and sexualization of young girls in the first place so he takes advantage of her attraction to him. I want to further explain the age and power dynamic I mentioned in an earlier blog post. Children cannot consent due to their age because they are unable to understand their certain situations and decisions put upon them. There is an imbalance of power because the adult, in this case Humbert Humbert, can easily put thoughts into a child's head, about what is right and what is wrong because of the authority they have. Lolita continues her behavior because Humbert allowed her to, he let her believe that she is consenting, that the relationship is okay.
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