Lolita

I've started Lolita, and it's incredibly intriguing. It started with another book however. My mother handed me Reading Lolita in Tehran, a book about a college professor in the Middle East who forms a book club at her home, filled with hand-picked students with the specific purpose of reading books that are banned. As women in their country, they share their lives with each other and realize what it means to be a Middle Eastern woman (certain clothing, permission from men to do certain things, despite being college educated women). At the same time they analyze Lolita.

However, I could not get past the first couple pages of the book, I thought it rather boring--forgive me if you think otherwise. I decided to give Lolita a try, to start at the beginning of sorts. It was a good choice, there's really nothing quite like it. For those of you who don't know, Lolita is a book that is narrated by a pedophile. Not Vladimir Nabakov himself, just the character he invented while writing it.

Humbert Humbert. Isn't that the most peculiar name? Reminds me of bumble bees for some reason. Humbert H., is the name of the pedophile, who, throughout his whole life, has had a fascination with the younger female generation. He even comes up with his own classification of the attractive, soft-skinned, juvenile girls that he admires from his park bench (from everywhere really). He nick-names them "nymphets." He's so funny, when he analyzes these girls, especially when he fantasizes about them. Humbert wants them to forever play around him and his park bench, and never let them grow up. It's not that he's a bad person, at least I don't think so, because he truly appreciates their figures, their smiles, and their untainted hearts and minds. Of course, Humbert has the urges of an adult male, but he tries his damnedest to not stray from what society has already approved of. He even marries a woman, and fell for her simply because she was quite childish in her behavior and looks.

His marriage ends in disaster, his first wife ends up dead in California, and Humbert moves to the states, where he meets Charlotte Haze and her daughter Lo, short for Delores, Lolita, or Lola. And so begins his Heaven and Hell. Heaven, because he finally has in reach, the opportunity to take advantage of his beautiful nymphets, the most beautiful of all being Delores. At this point in the story, he sneaks little caresses, touches, brushes of the cheek, creating secret highs for himself, constantly having to hide his arousal from being around his Lolita.

Lolita seems to have a teensy crush on Humbert himself. In fact, I forgot to insert it earlier, but Humbert is a sex god, apparently. He'll sometime refer back to his extremely good looks, and the numerous women that would gladly throw their selves at him. Alas, Humbert Humbert only likes little girls. Poor babies. One of those women, who unfortunately fell in love with Humbert, is Delores' mother. She expresses her love to him, fully expecting him to reject her immediately, in a letter. However, Humbert thinks on it and devises a plan. By marrying Charlotte Haze, the mother, he will be undeniably closer than ever to his Lolita. Decisions, decisions. And that's where I'm at in the book. Right where Humbert is practically salivating at the thoughts of how much a "father" gets to touch his "little girl" (fatherly hugs, kisses, etc). I'm guessing that he's gonna make the decision to become a really loving, caring, unusually touchy-feely father. Just a hunch.