Lolita-Quilty And Humbert Similarities

The novel Lolita, written by Vladimir Nabokov, allows the reader to see the world through the eyes of Humbert Humbert, the handsome, nympholept artist, on his journey across America with his Lolita. The reader becomes very familiar with Humbert and his perspective of the world. On his journey, Humbert encounters many different characters including Clare Quilty, a character who bares a strong resemblance to Humbert, and yet, despite their apparent similarities, Lolita falls for Clare Quilty instead of Humbert Humbert because he is able to comply with American standards.
Clare Quilty and Humbert Humbert have a lot in common. Not only do they look alike, but they are also both artists and they are both nympholepts. From the beginning of the novel,
“You have to be an artist and a madman, a creature of infinite melancholy, with a bubble of hot poison in your loins and a super-voluptuous flame permanently aglow in your subtle spine (oh, how you have to cringe and hide!), in order to discern at once, by ineffable signs… the little deadly demon among the wholesome children,” he explains (p 17). Since nymphets are not necessarily the prettiest girls, a nympholept has to be able to see what others cannot. Humbert prides himself in being able to see nymphets, but he keeps it to himself. “Ah, leave me alone in my pubescent park, in the mossy garden. Let them play around me forever” (p 21). Until Lolita, Humbert enjoyed admiring nymphets from a distance. He stays hidden. Quilty is impotent, so he too can only watch from a distance. However, he is much more public about it. That is where he and Quilty differ the
While on a drive with Lolita, he is looking for somewhere to park his car in when he sees a Quilty’s “resplendent, rubious” convertible backing out of a spot (p 117). He “gratefully” slips into the gap left by Quilty (p 117). He then writes, “I immediately regretted my haste for I noticed that my predecessor had now taken advantage of a garage-like shelter nearby where there was ample space for another car; but I was too impatient to follow his example” (117). Humbert thinks he is getting a good spot, but Quilty has found a better one. This incident with the parking spot is a symbol for their relationship. Until the end, Humbert thinks he has won Lolita. He thinks he has it figured out, but throughout their journey, Quilty is always a step ahead. Lolita is secretly having a relationship with Quilty for most of their drive across the