reflection of lolita
Lynn Hu
Professor Cates Baldridge
FYSE 1202 Criminal Heroes
12/02/2010
The Cage of Time
As Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran wrote in his poem, “I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized, than lord among those without dreams and desires”. To what extent, one may wonder, can a person achieve his dream with the escape of reality? The Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov believes that human beings will never break the prison of time. Human beings can only control time at the moment; only in the spiritual world can humans bring the past time back and actually stop time from progressing. Nabokov develops this idea in his novel Lolita, in which the protagonist Humbert Humbert shows his longings and his seeking of control over time throughout his life story. In this story, Nabokov also implies that lives are restricted by time; any seeking of the past time will fail at last and bring frustration. Whenever Humbert’s dreams, or ideals of seeking the past, conflict with the reality of the time restrictions, anguish emerges, and escalates into his tragic end of life. Actually, Humbert is deeply affected by his unfulfilled relationship with his young lover Annabel, which results in his seeking of young girls and his pursuit of controlling over time. This unforgettable remark in Humbert’s mind not only leads to his obsession with Lolita, a young girl who serves as another Annabel for Humbert, but also leads to his fear and anxiety of the elapsing of time throughout his lifetime. Humbert has always been hoping to slip the leash of time with the help of his imagination and creation, either going back to the beautiful memories in the past, or staying immortal without aging. However, he is never in control when time flows by; thus, he suffers from the impossibilities of achieving his ideals. Although Humbert tries to govern the destiny by himself and wishes to stay at one exact moment, he cannot achieve his desire in reality. After all, Humbert is
Professor Cates Baldridge
FYSE 1202 Criminal Heroes
12/02/2010
The Cage of Time
As Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran wrote in his poem, “I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized, than lord among those without dreams and desires”. To what extent, one may wonder, can a person achieve his dream with the escape of reality? The Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov believes that human beings will never break the prison of time. Human beings can only control time at the moment; only in the spiritual world can humans bring the past time back and actually stop time from progressing. Nabokov develops this idea in his novel Lolita, in which the protagonist Humbert Humbert shows his longings and his seeking of control over time throughout his life story. In this story, Nabokov also implies that lives are restricted by time; any seeking of the past time will fail at last and bring frustration. Whenever Humbert’s dreams, or ideals of seeking the past, conflict with the reality of the time restrictions, anguish emerges, and escalates into his tragic end of life. Actually, Humbert is deeply affected by his unfulfilled relationship with his young lover Annabel, which results in his seeking of young girls and his pursuit of controlling over time. This unforgettable remark in Humbert’s mind not only leads to his obsession with Lolita, a young girl who serves as another Annabel for Humbert, but also leads to his fear and anxiety of the elapsing of time throughout his lifetime. Humbert has always been hoping to slip the leash of time with the help of his imagination and creation, either going back to the beautiful memories in the past, or staying immortal without aging. However, he is never in control when time flows by; thus, he suffers from the impossibilities of achieving his ideals. Although Humbert tries to govern the destiny by himself and wishes to stay at one exact moment, he cannot achieve his desire in reality. After all, Humbert is