The Naivety​ of Charlotte​: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Vladimir Nabokov’s fascinating and shudder-inducing novel Lolita is full of irony and wit. One scene that powerfully explores this irony is when Charlotte Haze the mother of Humbert Humbert’s obsessive love, confesses her own love for Humbert. The letter is full of coincidental and strange references to her emotions and life that echo the truth of Humbert’s reality. Her words work to powerfully draw his world into stark focus. One such instance is when Mrs. Haze writes, “You who conceal your strongest feelings must think me a shameless little idiot for throwing open my poor bruised heart like this” (68). She can’t even imagine what strong, revolting feelings Humbert has hidden away, her statement is full of a truth she doesn’t even comprehend. This moment is also Mrs. Haze doing something Humbert could only ever dream of attempting, confessing openly and honestly to his deep emotional attachments. He can never express his feelings to Lolita at this time and so his “strong feelings” are hidden never to be revealed until his tale is written for the jury. Humbert instead of finding her jealous instead is most likely envious of her ability to openly express and reach for what she desires. The line of the greatest and most effective impact is, “you decide…to take advantage of my letter and make a pass at me, then you would be a criminal—worse than a kidnapper who rapes a child” (68). This claim is ridiculous in its intensity and yet it is made to a man who ultimately kidnaps her child and has forced sexual relations with her. Charlotte obviously has no idea of the full extent of the truth of her words, as they are prophetic of the events to come. However, the complete ridiculousness of calling a man who takes advantage of a women’s feeling worse than a child rapist simply exemplifies the true horror of the events of this novel. The reader is caught on the absurdity of the statement as they tall then unfolds to follow this statement. What is most intriguing by this scene is the reader’s knowledge that the relation of this letter is from the direct and distorted memory of Humbert Humbert as he relates his tale to the jury. The reader is forced to question the reliability of this rendition of the letter and how much of the lines are the result of Humbert’s own twisted psyche. The reader is forced to question how much of this letter is his own insinuations as his guilty consciousness bleeds through.