Lolita, part 1, chapters 16- 22

[Ophelia]

Lolita, part 1, chapters 16- 22

[realiz]

Charlotte comes through as a different kind of woman than I had originally viewed her. Her opinion of her daughter is quite sad and by sending her away she is ridding herself of the responsibility of a difficult time of life without guilt as a boarding school would be 'good' for her. She is then free to enjoy her life in her own self-centered way, with principles.

Humbert's decision to marry Charlotte shows his single minded determination to get what he wants regardless of who he uses and manipulates. His thoughts of drugging the two of them so that he can do what he wants stamped out even a morsel of thought that he actually had some real feelings for Lolita. Also, his worry about a limited amount of time he had to enjoy her while she was still a nymphet shows how much she is just an object to possess rather than a real person with any kind of real relationship. More and more we see what a phsychopathic monster Humbert really is, not so much because of his sexual attraction to young girls, but because of his total lack of empathy for other human beings, his disconnection from all other in his pursuit of his perverted desires.