Blog Post #6: Responding and Reflecting

As I progress further through Lolita, I realize how the consequences of Humbert's actions have become more serious as the novel progresses. I have also noticed how ideas influenced by society, specifically the conventional ideas of beauty, make Humbert feel more attracted to Lolita. Through reading through the feminist lens and drawing parallels to other literary works, I am able to reflect and grow as a reader by understanding how societal views shape characters and how the book's lessons can be applied to other texts.

First, the increase of aggressiveness in Humbert's behavior relates to many other Literary novels I have read. Specifically it relates to works that contain protagonists with tragic flaws. In my experiences as an English student, I have analyzed various works with characters with tragic flaws, such as Things Fall Apart, and Shakespearean plays such as Othello. These works with tragically flawed protagonists all have one common ending; The main "hero's" flaw gets exploited more often and in greater magnitudes towards the end of the book and ends with the character dying as a result of his dramatic errors. Since I haven't finished the ending of the book, I can assume that Humbert's flaw, pedophilia, will lead to a terrible ending for him. I know this because the protagonist, Humbert, seems to follow the typical tragic flaw character progression. However, one difference in Humbert's character and the characters of Shakespearean plays and Things Fall Apart, is that the main character is a hero. Humbert can not really be classified as a hero because throughout the story he demonstrates acts that are not typical of a hero, such as molesting young girls. Through reflection and comparison, I predict that Humbert's tragic flaw will lead him to a terrible demise.

Lastly, I've also noticed how society's views on gender roles is promoted through the book. In society, and especially in this time, the sexuality of males is typically rewarded and praised. This idea is reinforced in the book through Humbert's actions. When Humbert expresses his interest in Lolita, he always gets rewarded with some sexual act, even tough his interest in Lolita is wrong and illegal. When Lolita expresses her sexuality with other boys her age or with Humbert, she is characterized as a sexual being that is harmful. Through these harmful ideas, the book reinforces destructive gender roles.