After reading the first paragraph of Chris Offutt's memoir, I knew I'd enjoy reading it. I love the outdoors and nature, and I can see much of Offutt's writings would involve his experience with the wilderness. I especially enjoyed the sentence, "Cloud shadows are great fish moving swiftly overhead" (page 9). This evoked a sense of laying down in an open field looking up in the sky, giving me a very relaxed feeling.
I did look up a few words to get a greater meaning from the book. Amok literally translates to a psychic disturbance characterized by depression followed by a manic urge to murder, which is something I never really knew. Gestating means to carry in the womb. Finally, tribulation refers to a severe time of suffering.
The story starts off with a prologue of Offutt talking about the timelessness and power of nature. He discusses how nature will be here after we're gone just as it has been here before humankind existed. I liked the sentence, "The ashes of Alexander's library reveal the fragility of books" (page 10).
Throughout the reading, I noticed many places where Offutt describes things in very clever and humorous ways. One example was when he described his wife and him making love trying for a baby as "I felt like Zeus field testing his swan suit before the seduction of Leda. Gamete met zygote. DNA merged into the corkscrew that resembled the Milky Way's spiral, Herme's Staff. the swift helix of infant birth" (page 16). Just the word choice here is fantastic, along with his tapping into knowledge that one wouldn't generally expect from a redneck out of Kentucky.
When describing his hometown, I liked it when he says "my hometown is a zip code with a creek." I can relate to this as my dad grew up in a town that consisted of a volunteer fire department, two churches, a double wide post office, and farmland as far as the eye can see. I also like the immediate contrast the Offutt experiences when he throws himself into the city after he has never even crossed the county line.
He does, however, find some similarities between the two. He says that "manhattan was filthy and loud but similar to the hills" packed with illiterate men, unattainable women, and threat of injury." Offutt is completely out of place in the city, and struggles to adapt. I thought it was quite funny when he figured out that the ladies in the laundromat were speaking in Spanish, which he had taken for some strange dialect. The situation with the hermaphrodite, although somewhat disturbing, was also a pretty funny story for the redneck getting acclimated to the city.
As far as his relationship with Jahi goes, I thought one line in particular was insightful. He says that "no doubt she was a tad nutty, but I hadn't met anyone in the city who wasn't." I think this goes along with the saying, we're all weird, it just depends on who chooses to show it the most. You can either choose to bottle up all of your emotions and feelings, or lay them out in the open and not worry about what others are going to think of you.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Glengarry Glen Ross Part 2
The play really flew by reading, so I decided to go ahead and blog on the end of the play. This section starts off quite humorously with an identity switch from Levene to help out Roma. Roma sees a client coming in the office and tells Levene, "You're a client. I just sold you five waterfront Glengarry Farms. I rub my head, throw me the cue Kenilworth" (page 78). I thought this really sums up a lot of what is used in the sales world: deception. Salesmen are always trying to wheel and deal their way to the sale, no matter what.
Roma illustrates this mentality extremely well over the next few pages. He tells Lingk that "the man next to [him], he bought his lot at forty-two," trying to show Lingk that in comparison Lingk was getting a very fair price (page 83). Roma misdirects the conversation whenever Lingk tries to back out of the sale, and Roma even tries to cheat Lingk by telling him that the three days will not be up by the time they meet again to discuss the sale.
Roma even appeals at the personal level to Lingk, telling him, "This is me...This is Ricky, Jim. Jim, anything you want, you want it, you have it. You understand? This is me" (page 91). Once again, this shows how salesmen will try to get at your personal level and appear friendly just to make a sale. Roma later tries to persuade Lingk to just come out and get a drink, where he says no business will be talked about. By getting at the personal level, Roma hopes to get in Lingk's good graces and build up a level of trust.
Roma's plan, though, falls flat on its face when Williamson tells Lingk that the check was cashed the day before. At first it seems like Williamson is the only one telling the truth, we learn soon that he also is lying to help further his personal gains. I think Williamson's deceit comes as a surprise and serves as a lesson that even the most by the book people in the business world will at some point make a move that delves in the gray area of right and wrong.
After Levene seems like the veteran of wheeling and dealing, he gets duped by Williamson, who was supposedly the goody goody in the office. This goes to show that in the cutthroat world of sales, nobody should ever really be trusted because every guy is there to get his and usually doesn't care how he gets it.
Roma illustrates this mentality extremely well over the next few pages. He tells Lingk that "the man next to [him], he bought his lot at forty-two," trying to show Lingk that in comparison Lingk was getting a very fair price (page 83). Roma misdirects the conversation whenever Lingk tries to back out of the sale, and Roma even tries to cheat Lingk by telling him that the three days will not be up by the time they meet again to discuss the sale.
Roma even appeals at the personal level to Lingk, telling him, "This is me...This is Ricky, Jim. Jim, anything you want, you want it, you have it. You understand? This is me" (page 91). Once again, this shows how salesmen will try to get at your personal level and appear friendly just to make a sale. Roma later tries to persuade Lingk to just come out and get a drink, where he says no business will be talked about. By getting at the personal level, Roma hopes to get in Lingk's good graces and build up a level of trust.
Roma's plan, though, falls flat on its face when Williamson tells Lingk that the check was cashed the day before. At first it seems like Williamson is the only one telling the truth, we learn soon that he also is lying to help further his personal gains. I think Williamson's deceit comes as a surprise and serves as a lesson that even the most by the book people in the business world will at some point make a move that delves in the gray area of right and wrong.
After Levene seems like the veteran of wheeling and dealing, he gets duped by Williamson, who was supposedly the goody goody in the office. This goes to show that in the cutthroat world of sales, nobody should ever really be trusted because every guy is there to get his and usually doesn't care how he gets it.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Glengarry Glen Ross
The first section of Glengarry Glen Ross was pretty interesting to me. I got a lot out of the different characters and their interactions with each other and the company.
I looked up a few words in the story to help further meaning. I looked up polack, which is a demeaning term for people of Polish descent. I also looked up marshaling, which means to arrange in a certain order. Finally, I also looked up the phrase au lait, which was during Roma's speech on the train, which turns out to mean prepared or served with milk.
The play starts off with two businessmen, Levene and Williamson, eating at a Chinese restaurant. Levene is talking with Williamson about he recently can't close a deal, but he'll get back to his old shape in no time. Levene is a veteran of the business world, while Williamson seems a little newer to the game. I liked the comments Levene made on Williamson marshaling leads. He says, "Fuck marshaling the leads. What the fuck talk is that? Where did you learn that? In School?...Our job is to sell" (page 19).
I think a lot of this can be applied in college students' lives. We learn the proper way to do business and conduct ourselves at school. When we get out in the business world, though, are we going to follow suit by doing things the proper way or are we going to take the shortcuts that lead to the quickest success personally? In a capitalist society, I'd say oftentimes we'll go for the shortcut route.
Williamson takes this shortcut route by taking Levene's cut on a couple of sales that are given to him by Williamson. As mentioned earlier, this isn't necessarily the most ethical thing to do, but it logically makes sense for the two men in order for them to maximize their personal earnings.
The next scene involves Moss and Aaronow talking about their business problems. They're discussing how their company takes way too much of a cut out of their commissions. They discuss a friend, Jerry Graff, who is doing business on his own. Moss says, "He's clean, he's doing business for himself...Why take ten percent?...What are we giving ninety per...for nothing" (page 33). I think people often times get stuck in a rut in their job and look at how the grass is always greener on the other side, so to speak. This can at times be true, but it can also lead to brash actions and risk taking built on frustration in a current situation. This is what happens to moss and Aaronow. They start thinking about how their job is terrible compared to others, and they try to beat the system by taking the leads and selling them off.
Next, the reader meets Roma, a man determined to get his. Roma is all about gaining. He doesn't really care about excuses, if he sees something out there that he wants, his main objective is to go out there and get it. He seems like a cynical man, who's been through a lot. He says that life throws out problems, as well as throwing out some blessings. The good and the bad happen, and you just have to deal with it and do what's most for your own gain.
I looked up a few words in the story to help further meaning. I looked up polack, which is a demeaning term for people of Polish descent. I also looked up marshaling, which means to arrange in a certain order. Finally, I also looked up the phrase au lait, which was during Roma's speech on the train, which turns out to mean prepared or served with milk.
The play starts off with two businessmen, Levene and Williamson, eating at a Chinese restaurant. Levene is talking with Williamson about he recently can't close a deal, but he'll get back to his old shape in no time. Levene is a veteran of the business world, while Williamson seems a little newer to the game. I liked the comments Levene made on Williamson marshaling leads. He says, "Fuck marshaling the leads. What the fuck talk is that? Where did you learn that? In School?...Our job is to sell" (page 19).
I think a lot of this can be applied in college students' lives. We learn the proper way to do business and conduct ourselves at school. When we get out in the business world, though, are we going to follow suit by doing things the proper way or are we going to take the shortcuts that lead to the quickest success personally? In a capitalist society, I'd say oftentimes we'll go for the shortcut route.
Williamson takes this shortcut route by taking Levene's cut on a couple of sales that are given to him by Williamson. As mentioned earlier, this isn't necessarily the most ethical thing to do, but it logically makes sense for the two men in order for them to maximize their personal earnings.
The next scene involves Moss and Aaronow talking about their business problems. They're discussing how their company takes way too much of a cut out of their commissions. They discuss a friend, Jerry Graff, who is doing business on his own. Moss says, "He's clean, he's doing business for himself...Why take ten percent?...What are we giving ninety per...for nothing" (page 33). I think people often times get stuck in a rut in their job and look at how the grass is always greener on the other side, so to speak. This can at times be true, but it can also lead to brash actions and risk taking built on frustration in a current situation. This is what happens to moss and Aaronow. They start thinking about how their job is terrible compared to others, and they try to beat the system by taking the leads and selling them off.
Next, the reader meets Roma, a man determined to get his. Roma is all about gaining. He doesn't really care about excuses, if he sees something out there that he wants, his main objective is to go out there and get it. He seems like a cynical man, who's been through a lot. He says that life throws out problems, as well as throwing out some blessings. The good and the bad happen, and you just have to deal with it and do what's most for your own gain.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Emergency and Home
The first story I read was Emergency by Denis Johnson. To be honest, I was pretty confused throughout a lot of the story. There were many allusions that I didn't fully understand. Georgie, especially intrigued me. He makes some insightful comments like, "There's so much goop inside of us, and it all wants to get out" (page 274). It's hard to tell, though, if Georgie is just talking about the blood he sees or some deeper symbolic meaning.
Blindness seemed to be a big issue in the story. Georgie seems like he is somewhat blind, like when he tells the man with the knife in his eye that he "can't see what [he's] saying" (page 276). Georgie, although he seemed below par mentally at times, surprises the reader with his ability to help others. For example, when he came out of the operating room with the knife that was in the man's eyes, everyone seemed to be thoroughly surprised as "the talk just dropped off a cliff" (page 278).
One thing that I think furthered the confusion in the story was the characters' usage of drugs. Everything in the story had a kinda of surreal quality in my opinion. From Georgie's actions in the hospital to the trip out to the country, it was hard to get a sense of what was tangibly going on in the story.
I found I could connect much better to the next story, Home, by Jayne Anne Phillips. I thought this story really focused on the themes of dealing with the past, struggles, and strained relationships.
The story starts off describing the speaker as a 23 year old woman who has just moved back into her mother's home. The mom seems detached from the world, simply watching television at night and now wanting to get out. The speaker then looks at her mom's old photos and sees a different woman. Her mom was outside, at sorority parties. I liked how she says "the photographer had painted her lashes too lushly" (page 411), showing that her mother is now a completely different person.
The speaker then talks about her father and their estranged relationship. After being married for twenty years, her mom divorced him. The dream she has about her father is particularly disturbing. In the dream, the father caresses her thigh and ends up having an erection. This alludes to possible abuse in the past.
The speaker also has trouble dealing with her past lovers. Jason, who seems like her high school sweetheart and first love, had a mental breakdown after his brother died. The speaker still doesn't seem completely over him, still reminiscing about him. Daniel, also seems like an interesting character. Although he has another lover now, the speaker pleads with him to come visit, and they eventually have sex in the house.
The story ends with the mother coming back from church telling the speaker that she heard the two having relations in the bedroom. The mom has a hard time dealing with her daughter growing up and becoming a woman who makes her own decisions. The daughter, likewise, has trouble dealing with her mother who now lives a fairly mundane life in her own bubble. Both characters have struggles- the mom with her former husband and the daughter with her past loves. The story really focused on how everyone struggles with relationships and each other and how messy life can be.
Blindness seemed to be a big issue in the story. Georgie seems like he is somewhat blind, like when he tells the man with the knife in his eye that he "can't see what [he's] saying" (page 276). Georgie, although he seemed below par mentally at times, surprises the reader with his ability to help others. For example, when he came out of the operating room with the knife that was in the man's eyes, everyone seemed to be thoroughly surprised as "the talk just dropped off a cliff" (page 278).
One thing that I think furthered the confusion in the story was the characters' usage of drugs. Everything in the story had a kinda of surreal quality in my opinion. From Georgie's actions in the hospital to the trip out to the country, it was hard to get a sense of what was tangibly going on in the story.
I found I could connect much better to the next story, Home, by Jayne Anne Phillips. I thought this story really focused on the themes of dealing with the past, struggles, and strained relationships.
The story starts off describing the speaker as a 23 year old woman who has just moved back into her mother's home. The mom seems detached from the world, simply watching television at night and now wanting to get out. The speaker then looks at her mom's old photos and sees a different woman. Her mom was outside, at sorority parties. I liked how she says "the photographer had painted her lashes too lushly" (page 411), showing that her mother is now a completely different person.
The speaker then talks about her father and their estranged relationship. After being married for twenty years, her mom divorced him. The dream she has about her father is particularly disturbing. In the dream, the father caresses her thigh and ends up having an erection. This alludes to possible abuse in the past.
The speaker also has trouble dealing with her past lovers. Jason, who seems like her high school sweetheart and first love, had a mental breakdown after his brother died. The speaker still doesn't seem completely over him, still reminiscing about him. Daniel, also seems like an interesting character. Although he has another lover now, the speaker pleads with him to come visit, and they eventually have sex in the house.
The story ends with the mother coming back from church telling the speaker that she heard the two having relations in the bedroom. The mom has a hard time dealing with her daughter growing up and becoming a woman who makes her own decisions. The daughter, likewise, has trouble dealing with her mother who now lives a fairly mundane life in her own bubble. Both characters have struggles- the mom with her former husband and the daughter with her past loves. The story really focused on how everyone struggles with relationships and each other and how messy life can be.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Last Section of Lolita
The last section of Lolita was a lot different from the other sections. First off, Lolita wasn't tangibly in the story at all, only her memory is present in Humbert's mind. Also, this section is very morbid and foreboding, which only makes sense after a man loses his love.
I looked up a few words for this section that helped my reading. The word putrefaction means state of decay. Palliative means something that relieves without curing. Finally, automaton means mechanical-like or robotic.
This section of reading started off with Humbert thinking back over his relationship with Lolita. His revelations aren't exactly pleasant for him. He comes to realize that "I was to her not a boy friend, not a glamour man, not a pal, not even a person at all, but just two eyes and a foot of engorged brawn" (page 283). He comes to realize that he mistreated her and was completely unfair to her. He does, however, still mention that he loved her on the bottom of page 284. He mentions being a monster, brutal, and despicable, but all in all he still loves her.
The reader gets the sense that Humbert is about to do something murderous early on in the book. From the beginning, he admits to being a murderer, and the reader knows about his ownership of a gun. The reader knows for sure it's going to happen soon when Humbert describes a planned out murder, then says, "I did better" (page 288).
Humbert soon after returns to the town where he originally met Lolita. He meets with Clare's Uncle and then takes pleasure in calling him a bad dentist to spite him. It seems like a silly way out frustrations, but one must remember Humbert was in quite the state of mind. The passage right after the dentist's visit shows Humbert is fully prepared to take his revenge on Clare Quilty. He describes preparing the gun. "Push the magazine into the butt. Press home until you hear or feel the magazine catch engage. Delightfully snug. Capacity: eight cartridges. Full Blued. Aching to be discharged" (page 292). I liked the way the phrase aching to be discharged is used. It really shows the pain and bitterness Humbert has been experiencing throughout the past few years, and how he's been ready to take out his anger.
On a sidenote, I feel like Humbert's revenge is more for himself than for the noble act of love. Obviously from an objective point of view the reader can see that Lolita is in a better place not than in Humbert's arms, but Humbert I think looks at Lolita's taking almost as the stealing of a prized possession he loves. Humbert always describes loving Lolita, but never wants to do what is in her best interest. He only does things for his own personal gain.
Either way, Humbert was sure to get his revenge. The book's climax ensues as Humbert confronts Clare in his own home. The whole situation was somewhat comical, with Clare being a sick old man whose mind has been ruined by drugs and Humbert stumbling around drunk. The two's conversations go nowhere for a while considering the two mens' states of mind. Finally, Humbert gets it across to Clare that he is going to kill him for kidnapping Lolita. Clare takes the whole situation rather lightly, then fighing ensues. I thought it was interesting how Humbert describes how the fighting "lacked the ox-stuffing fisticuffs, the flying furniture" (page 299). He describes the two men as "two large dummies...one of whom was utterly disorganized by a drug while the other was handicapped by a heart condition and too much gin." Whenever we think of fights in dramatic literature or movies, we normally think of a rousing battle between good and evil in grand style. Nabokov turns this on its head by showing the realistic struggle between two aging men who have both had better years behind them.
Humbert, though, finally kills Clare and is not afraid to admit it to the guests that arrive, although they assume he is just joking around. He finishes his narrative driving crazily through the streets, figuring that after he's broken one law, traffic laws don't really need to be followed either.
I liked the quote Humbert says on page 308, in which he says, "This is my story. I have reread it. It has bits of marrow sticking to it, and blood, and beautiful bright-green flies." I take this as Humbert telling the reader that he's told his life story-all of it; the good, the bad and the ugly. He hasn't glossed over the happenings in his life, he tells the reader that he's presented them as he's seen them.
I thought Nabokov's note at the end had a few interesting remarks. Nabokov had already written about Russia and Europe, so with Lolita he wanted to invent America. He didn't want to be anti-American, as some readers thought, but he wanted to show the good and the bad of America, its flaws and its qualities. Nabokov also mentions burning the draft of Lolita which lets the reader know that he truly struggled in writing the controversial story.
I looked up a few words for this section that helped my reading. The word putrefaction means state of decay. Palliative means something that relieves without curing. Finally, automaton means mechanical-like or robotic.
This section of reading started off with Humbert thinking back over his relationship with Lolita. His revelations aren't exactly pleasant for him. He comes to realize that "I was to her not a boy friend, not a glamour man, not a pal, not even a person at all, but just two eyes and a foot of engorged brawn" (page 283). He comes to realize that he mistreated her and was completely unfair to her. He does, however, still mention that he loved her on the bottom of page 284. He mentions being a monster, brutal, and despicable, but all in all he still loves her.
The reader gets the sense that Humbert is about to do something murderous early on in the book. From the beginning, he admits to being a murderer, and the reader knows about his ownership of a gun. The reader knows for sure it's going to happen soon when Humbert describes a planned out murder, then says, "I did better" (page 288).
Humbert soon after returns to the town where he originally met Lolita. He meets with Clare's Uncle and then takes pleasure in calling him a bad dentist to spite him. It seems like a silly way out frustrations, but one must remember Humbert was in quite the state of mind. The passage right after the dentist's visit shows Humbert is fully prepared to take his revenge on Clare Quilty. He describes preparing the gun. "Push the magazine into the butt. Press home until you hear or feel the magazine catch engage. Delightfully snug. Capacity: eight cartridges. Full Blued. Aching to be discharged" (page 292). I liked the way the phrase aching to be discharged is used. It really shows the pain and bitterness Humbert has been experiencing throughout the past few years, and how he's been ready to take out his anger.
On a sidenote, I feel like Humbert's revenge is more for himself than for the noble act of love. Obviously from an objective point of view the reader can see that Lolita is in a better place not than in Humbert's arms, but Humbert I think looks at Lolita's taking almost as the stealing of a prized possession he loves. Humbert always describes loving Lolita, but never wants to do what is in her best interest. He only does things for his own personal gain.
Either way, Humbert was sure to get his revenge. The book's climax ensues as Humbert confronts Clare in his own home. The whole situation was somewhat comical, with Clare being a sick old man whose mind has been ruined by drugs and Humbert stumbling around drunk. The two's conversations go nowhere for a while considering the two mens' states of mind. Finally, Humbert gets it across to Clare that he is going to kill him for kidnapping Lolita. Clare takes the whole situation rather lightly, then fighing ensues. I thought it was interesting how Humbert describes how the fighting "lacked the ox-stuffing fisticuffs, the flying furniture" (page 299). He describes the two men as "two large dummies...one of whom was utterly disorganized by a drug while the other was handicapped by a heart condition and too much gin." Whenever we think of fights in dramatic literature or movies, we normally think of a rousing battle between good and evil in grand style. Nabokov turns this on its head by showing the realistic struggle between two aging men who have both had better years behind them.
Humbert, though, finally kills Clare and is not afraid to admit it to the guests that arrive, although they assume he is just joking around. He finishes his narrative driving crazily through the streets, figuring that after he's broken one law, traffic laws don't really need to be followed either.
I liked the quote Humbert says on page 308, in which he says, "This is my story. I have reread it. It has bits of marrow sticking to it, and blood, and beautiful bright-green flies." I take this as Humbert telling the reader that he's told his life story-all of it; the good, the bad and the ugly. He hasn't glossed over the happenings in his life, he tells the reader that he's presented them as he's seen them.
I thought Nabokov's note at the end had a few interesting remarks. Nabokov had already written about Russia and Europe, so with Lolita he wanted to invent America. He didn't want to be anti-American, as some readers thought, but he wanted to show the good and the bad of America, its flaws and its qualities. Nabokov also mentions burning the draft of Lolita which lets the reader know that he truly struggled in writing the controversial story.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Humbert and Lolita hit the road again
After getting Lolita settled into a somewhat stable home life, Humbert almost immediately begins to feel discomfort about the situation. He is always wary of what the neighbors are thinking about his relationship with Lolita. He says, "I often felt we lived in a lighted house of glass and that any moment some thin-lipped parchment face would peer through...to obtain a free glimpse of things that the most jaded voyeur would have paid a small fortune to watch" (page 180). This sets the mood that Humbert keeps for his entire stay at the house, that of paranoia.
Humbert also becomes perturbed by what Lolita is learning from others. For instance, their neighbor Gaston more than likely told her how to get her allowance raised. Humbert is not prepared to deal with Lolita learning more and more from others, including her being more vocal in her objections of Humbert's behavior.
After describing this, Humbert goes on to talk about a conversation he has with the headmistress at the school. Nabokov once again makes it a sure point to satirize what some people find important in education these days. The headmistress wishes for Lolita to become more ladylike and refined, but mentions minimally anything on actual studies.
I thought one interesting point in the reading came when Lolita actually brought up the action of pedophilia. She asks Humbert if he can remember "the hotel where you raped me?" (page 202). This seemed important because it was the first time she actually talks of the action of rape, showing perhaps more disdain for Humbert than previously. She slowly becomes more rebellious, and mentioning this is another sign of that.
Another interesting development arises when Humbert realizes that Lolita is becoming too old for him. "The fog of all lust had been swept away leaving nothing but this dreadful lucidity. Oh, she had changed! Her complexion was now that of any vulgar untidy highschool girl who applies shared cosmetics with grubby fingers..." (page 204). This, along with Humbert mentioning a gun he now owns on page 216, foreshadow perhaps violence in the future. Humbert already admits to being a killer, so is it possible that he would kill Lolita to preserve her in her nymphet state? I guess time will tell the story there.
Humbert as an unreliable narrator comes up again in this section of reading. He describes himself as having an "incomplete and unorthodox memory" on page 217, making the reader only have to guess on what actually happened. On page 227, Humbert describes a supposed detective following him. He talks about the detective swapping cars out a lot, following in different cars. This makes me wonder if there is an actual detective, or if Humbert in his stressed out state, is just seeing things.
Humbert also becomes perturbed by what Lolita is learning from others. For instance, their neighbor Gaston more than likely told her how to get her allowance raised. Humbert is not prepared to deal with Lolita learning more and more from others, including her being more vocal in her objections of Humbert's behavior.
After describing this, Humbert goes on to talk about a conversation he has with the headmistress at the school. Nabokov once again makes it a sure point to satirize what some people find important in education these days. The headmistress wishes for Lolita to become more ladylike and refined, but mentions minimally anything on actual studies.
I thought one interesting point in the reading came when Lolita actually brought up the action of pedophilia. She asks Humbert if he can remember "the hotel where you raped me?" (page 202). This seemed important because it was the first time she actually talks of the action of rape, showing perhaps more disdain for Humbert than previously. She slowly becomes more rebellious, and mentioning this is another sign of that.
Another interesting development arises when Humbert realizes that Lolita is becoming too old for him. "The fog of all lust had been swept away leaving nothing but this dreadful lucidity. Oh, she had changed! Her complexion was now that of any vulgar untidy highschool girl who applies shared cosmetics with grubby fingers..." (page 204). This, along with Humbert mentioning a gun he now owns on page 216, foreshadow perhaps violence in the future. Humbert already admits to being a killer, so is it possible that he would kill Lolita to preserve her in her nymphet state? I guess time will tell the story there.
Humbert as an unreliable narrator comes up again in this section of reading. He describes himself as having an "incomplete and unorthodox memory" on page 217, making the reader only have to guess on what actually happened. On page 227, Humbert describes a supposed detective following him. He talks about the detective swapping cars out a lot, following in different cars. This makes me wonder if there is an actual detective, or if Humbert in his stressed out state, is just seeing things.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Lolita goes on the road
Lolita and Humbert hit the road for this next section of reading, traveling all across the United States for their travels. I looked up a good many words in this section of reading, but I'll just show the first three that I looked up. The word propensity means natural inclination or tendency. Genteel means suited to polite society. Finally, congenial means agreeable or suitable.
This section of reading starts with Humbert and Lolita embarking on a journey across America. They usually stay at cheap motels and cabins to save money and remain inconspicuous. Throughout their travels, Humbert begins to notice that Lolita was, well, acting her age. "Lolita, when she chose, could be a most exasperating brat. I was not really quite prepared for her fits of disorganized boredom, intense and vehement griping, her sprawling, droopy, dopey-eyed style..." (page 148). This annoyance by Humbert seemed interesting to me. Humbert seems almost surprised by her childish ways. I guess he wants her to act like an adult because she is his romantic interest, but the fact remains that she is only twelve years old.
She becomes annoyed with Humbert, but Humbert explains that she's stuck with him. He says, "So I go to jail. Okay. I go to jail. But what happens to you, my orphan?...You become the ward of the Department of Public Welfare" (page 150). For Lolita, this must seem like a bleak situation. At only twelve years old, she has to cope with the fact that she is forced to remain with Humbert as long as Humbert feels like keeping her.
Humbert then spends a while talking about the places they travel. Perhaps he wants to describe the extensive journey they go on, or perhaps he just enjoys reminiscing on the travels. While describing the travels, Humbert once again appeals to the reader to humanize himself. He says, "I itemize these sunny nothings mainly to prove to my judges that I did everything in my power to give my Lolita a really good time" (page 162).
I thought one disturbing when Humbert described how he refused to give Lolita her coffee until she performed her "morning duty" which I can only assume has sexual connotations. This would have to mean that sex became a ritual daily for Humbert and Lolita, and I can only imagine that the more it happened, the more dehumanized Lolita became. Also, Humbert once again mentions perhaps the source of his pedophilia, mentioning his unfulfilled romance with Annabell at the seaside. He tries to imitate the seaside romance with Lolita, as well.
It seems that Humbert's obsession for nymphets is not going to stop at Lolita, either. Perhaps most disturbing was Humbert's thoughts on getting Lolita pregnant and having her birth a daughter that Humbert could also have relations with. Humbert's plans become more and more twisted as the book goes along. At first, he seems shy with Lolita, then he gets to her through her mother. And now, finally, he thinks about using her to get to another young girl in the future. The more you look into Humbert's mind, the more you realize how deeply disturbed he is and how obsessed he is for nymphets.
This section of reading starts with Humbert and Lolita embarking on a journey across America. They usually stay at cheap motels and cabins to save money and remain inconspicuous. Throughout their travels, Humbert begins to notice that Lolita was, well, acting her age. "Lolita, when she chose, could be a most exasperating brat. I was not really quite prepared for her fits of disorganized boredom, intense and vehement griping, her sprawling, droopy, dopey-eyed style..." (page 148). This annoyance by Humbert seemed interesting to me. Humbert seems almost surprised by her childish ways. I guess he wants her to act like an adult because she is his romantic interest, but the fact remains that she is only twelve years old.
She becomes annoyed with Humbert, but Humbert explains that she's stuck with him. He says, "So I go to jail. Okay. I go to jail. But what happens to you, my orphan?...You become the ward of the Department of Public Welfare" (page 150). For Lolita, this must seem like a bleak situation. At only twelve years old, she has to cope with the fact that she is forced to remain with Humbert as long as Humbert feels like keeping her.
Humbert then spends a while talking about the places they travel. Perhaps he wants to describe the extensive journey they go on, or perhaps he just enjoys reminiscing on the travels. While describing the travels, Humbert once again appeals to the reader to humanize himself. He says, "I itemize these sunny nothings mainly to prove to my judges that I did everything in my power to give my Lolita a really good time" (page 162).
I thought one disturbing when Humbert described how he refused to give Lolita her coffee until she performed her "morning duty" which I can only assume has sexual connotations. This would have to mean that sex became a ritual daily for Humbert and Lolita, and I can only imagine that the more it happened, the more dehumanized Lolita became. Also, Humbert once again mentions perhaps the source of his pedophilia, mentioning his unfulfilled romance with Annabell at the seaside. He tries to imitate the seaside romance with Lolita, as well.
It seems that Humbert's obsession for nymphets is not going to stop at Lolita, either. Perhaps most disturbing was Humbert's thoughts on getting Lolita pregnant and having her birth a daughter that Humbert could also have relations with. Humbert's plans become more and more twisted as the book goes along. At first, he seems shy with Lolita, then he gets to her through her mother. And now, finally, he thinks about using her to get to another young girl in the future. The more you look into Humbert's mind, the more you realize how deeply disturbed he is and how obsessed he is for nymphets.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Lolita Part 2
After the initial shock of the first reading in Lolita, I felt I could read this section of the novel more deeply without being disturbed or surprised by the content. I still found it very interesting to be inside Humbert's mind, reading his every emotion. For example, I found it interesting that he was proud of himself after pleasuring himself by wrestling with Lolita in his lap. He says, "I felt proud of myself. I had stolen the money of a spasm without impairing the morals of a minor" (page 62). I think it's pretty significant that Humbert does not wish to harm the child. Humbert later says that he "intended, with the most fervent force and foresight, to protect the purity of that twelve-year-old child" (page 63). Nabokov is once again trying to humanize Humbert, making him more as a sympathetic human being who really doesn't wish any harm on the girl.
Humbert even describes himself as having "fallen in love with Lolita forever" (page 65). By saying this, Humbert is trying to persuade the audience that Lolita is not some lustful desire, but something much more than that. He does, however, contradict his argument by saying that in a couple years she will no longer be Lolita, but instead a young woman. In Humbert's eyes, this seems perfectly rational, but the jury of the audience will have a hard time justifying that thought.
Humbert continues his amoral quest for Lolita by marrying Charlotte, Lolita's mother. Humbert cannot do much to defend himself for this action, besides the fact that he has become obsessed with Lolita.
As the reader delves more and more into Humbert's mind, it's easy to tell both how much he loves Lolita, and how crazed he is to have her for himself. He premeditates that "the natural solution was to destroy Mrs. Humbert" (page 84). He even has the entire murder planned out while Charlotte is swimming, but Humbert cannot bring himself to do it. Humbert does seem a tad bit more human when he confesses that he couldn't kill her because he would morally be haunted by the murder.
I thought Humbert makes a pressing cry for help on page 88 when he says, "We are not sex fiends! We do not rape as good soldiers do. We are unhappy, mild, dog-eyed gentlemen, sufficiently well integrated to control our urge in the presence of adults" (page 88). Humbert lets the reader know that he is in a rational state of mind, although he has attended a mental hospital in the past. His thoughts do make rational sense; he wants something, and will do what is necessary to get what he wants. On a moral level, though, Humbert seems in the wrong.
Finally, with Charlotte now out of the picture with a fateful accident, Humbert now seems free to pursue Lolita as he wishes. With the conflict of the mother now out of the way, I'm looking for the relationship between Humbert and Lolita to become more central and to become more complicated.
Humbert even describes himself as having "fallen in love with Lolita forever" (page 65). By saying this, Humbert is trying to persuade the audience that Lolita is not some lustful desire, but something much more than that. He does, however, contradict his argument by saying that in a couple years she will no longer be Lolita, but instead a young woman. In Humbert's eyes, this seems perfectly rational, but the jury of the audience will have a hard time justifying that thought.
Humbert continues his amoral quest for Lolita by marrying Charlotte, Lolita's mother. Humbert cannot do much to defend himself for this action, besides the fact that he has become obsessed with Lolita.
As the reader delves more and more into Humbert's mind, it's easy to tell both how much he loves Lolita, and how crazed he is to have her for himself. He premeditates that "the natural solution was to destroy Mrs. Humbert" (page 84). He even has the entire murder planned out while Charlotte is swimming, but Humbert cannot bring himself to do it. Humbert does seem a tad bit more human when he confesses that he couldn't kill her because he would morally be haunted by the murder.
I thought Humbert makes a pressing cry for help on page 88 when he says, "We are not sex fiends! We do not rape as good soldiers do. We are unhappy, mild, dog-eyed gentlemen, sufficiently well integrated to control our urge in the presence of adults" (page 88). Humbert lets the reader know that he is in a rational state of mind, although he has attended a mental hospital in the past. His thoughts do make rational sense; he wants something, and will do what is necessary to get what he wants. On a moral level, though, Humbert seems in the wrong.
Finally, with Charlotte now out of the picture with a fateful accident, Humbert now seems free to pursue Lolita as he wishes. With the conflict of the mother now out of the way, I'm looking for the relationship between Humbert and Lolita to become more central and to become more complicated.
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