Humbert is not only Lolita’s debaucher but her stepfather and, after Charlotte’s death, the closest thing she has to a parent. What kind of parent is he? How does his behavior toward the girl increasingly come to resemble Charlotte’s? Why, during their last meeting, does Lolita dismiss the erotic aspect of their relationship and “grant” only that Humbert was a good father?
Humbert played a double role in Lolita’s life as both step-father and lover. His role as a father is reminiscent of the farmer lovingly tending and feeding livestock to be sold at market, then slaughtered and consumed. A good life for a while, but definitely not in the aninals’ interests. Like as with Lolita, Humbert cared for her and bowed to her various whims with gifts and so forth, but purely to satisfy his own desires. None of this which were in Lolita’s interests.
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He is a manipulative liar and only really cares about fulfilling his desires. He is not a parent in any way at all. He does things for her to justify that he is fatherly. His behavior resembles Charlotte’s behavior by not treating her as a person but only as an object. By the time of final meeting, Lolita has grown up and was able to put some distance between them. By saying he was a good father it may be her way to cope with it so she can move forward in her life. She ended it on her terms not his.
Humbert was over-protective, but I don’t see this as parenting. He was afraid she would say something to a stranger, or an acquaintance about their relationship, so he kept his eyes on her constantly. I think Dolly dismisses the erotic aspect of their relationship because it’s a time she doesn’t want to dwell on, or remember.
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Well said Jill. I agree. He didn’t know how to be a father. I also think at the final meeting, she may have just been telling him what he wanted to hear to get rid of him. She had apparently moved on.
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John, Jill and Louise make excellent points. I especially like the farmer reference: taking loving care of a creature until time for a permanent goodbye. He knew she would be too old for him once she was 15. Humbert wanted his prize to be happy and healthy, but I don’t think he even particularly liked her. His entire focus was his own pleasure.
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I just felt Lolita was short changed by any adult figure. She never experienced unconditional love. Love was always attached to doing something.
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In Chapter 32 Humbert shows us a picture of a good father. When Avis’ father comes to pick her up she safely drapes herself on his arm. He responds by putting a casual arm around her. There is no sexual tension in the relationship. In the same scene Dolly (Lolita) brings out her dazzling smile, staying apart from Humbert, staring at a knife. What could Dolly (Lolita) do with the knife? In the end, she only hurts herself when it falls from the table and strikes her ankle. Avis, who has a good father, chubby siblings, and a dog at home, consoles Dolly. Humbert is never her consolation, only her painful tormentor, echoing the uncaring mother she’s lost.
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I agree with you Jill. He is a horrible man and only cares about himself. Buying her all the things and taking her to different towns where he finds somewhat fun things for her to do does not make him a good father. He is an evil man. Charlotte did not care for her and wanted to put her in a school so she did not have to deal with her. He only cares about himself.
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He was never a good parent. His motivations were perverted, manipulative thoughts and actions to get her to accept him. He played a certain role early in the relationship, but when Charlotte died, his behavior went to extremes. He took her from place to place to keep her away from others. He would shower her with gifts for no reason to try to bribe her into his fantasy world. He gave her no space at all to become who she really might be. She finally reached an age where she couldn’t tolerate the suffocating and controlling environment, and she ran. Lolita had no other father figure; perhaps she thought his traveling with her, showering her with whatever gifts would make her happy, were his attempts to be a good father. Perhaps she made the comment because he stepped forward and gave them the money that they needed to get a good start, and he attached no strings to it.
Humbert is not a parent in any nurturing sense—he is a grotesque caricature of a parent using legal authority and emotional manipulation to maintain control. Over time, his behavior begins to resemble Charlotte’s: possessive, critical, and threatening. The key difference is that Charlotte’s flaws stem from insecurity and social aspiration, while Humbert’s stem from predatory obsession. Nabokov employs this mirroring to expose Humbert’s hypocrisy and demonstrate that his role as guardian does not soften or humanize him; instead, it equips him with new tools to dominate Lolita.