Lolita

Well, now I am going to pick a specific point (just only one of the many topics that is presented to readers' judgement)from the novel and bring it here. The topic I want to discuss is,if Humbert wouldn't have found love of his life (Anabel) at an early age and lost it before a satisfying experience, would he still have a strong obsession against young girls, especially Lolita? I ask this because when we start reading the book, Humbert briefly tells us his childhood and family but emphasizes on one very significant memory of his teenage years (which is the days he spends with Anabel) and keeps referring to that throughout the document in his defense. As one of the thousands of judges, I, see his reference to his past almost like an excuse for things he has done.

Before executing Humbert I am going to ask myself two questions. First question is that "is his excuse valid enough for the things that happen?" and the second is "if I had an experience like he had in an early age (like loosing love of his life), would I become somebody like Humbert? A damage that is done in one's childhood may effect strongly the other events happen in his/her life but on the other hand, it cannot be measured and compared with negative (or even positive) events that happen to others.Everybody percieve every event different.Therefore I think it's nobody right to decide how big or how small this loss was for Humbert. Maybe he had a good childhood in some peoples' mind. I think I see something benath Humbert more than "a natural born psycho" so I think the excuse he gives for his interest in Lolita is understandable. So my answer to the first question would be "yes" until the point when Humbert thinks of having a daughter from Lolita and make love with her too, which conflicts with all the love that he has for Lolita. So I think everything starts with a reason (to some extend) but then Humbert loses his control. My answer to the second question would be simply "no". Like I said above, although I can understand the impact of loosing a childhood love for somebody, it wouldn't cause me such a trouble (well, I never got along with girls at that age anyways).

To sum it all up, I find the source of Humbert's feelings(early ones, the ones he has when he first saw Lolita) understandble but not of his actions so, as one of the thousands of judges, I find him guilty. Before I finish,I would like to point out something else. Love is always greatest excuse for our crimes and mistakes. A great tool to use in defense too. Think about it this way: If Hitler would expressed himself that everything he did, he did because of his love (for a person or a country or anything), would the image of Hitler in our heads change?