Humbert Humbert of Lolita and James Gatsby of The Great Gatsby

Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita and Bret Easton Ellis’s novel American Psycho both show the stories of seemingly regular men based off of how they interact with people in their lives while in public view. The main characters from each novel are not normal functioning men of society. Humbert Humbert from Nabokov’s Lolita is a middle aged man who has an obsession with young girls around the age of twelve. Patrick Bateman from Ellis’s American Psycho is an incredibly narcissistic, egotistic, man who is an investment banker by day and serial killer by night. Both men have had a privileged upbringing.

This results in the narrative perspective of the novel demonstrating how Humbert attempts to conceal his true nature through, in his own mind, clever ‘adjustments’ to how the story is presented and references to historical figures who shared the same desires as him- ‘Oh Lolita, you are my girl, as Vee was Poe’s and Bea Dante’s’ (Nabokov 1955), yet often reverts to a disposition in which he laments about his monstrous desires. Not only this, but the comparison to famous literary greats suggests that Humbert considers himself to be of their status and thus possesses an idolized version of himself, a self which can easily transform language into ploys to conceal his true nature.

The men who show their obsessions in Fear and Lolita do so in a more aggressive manner. Humbert, who has always had in interest in young girls, is instantly taken with Dolores, the 12 year old daughter of his landlady - “It was love at first sight, at last sight, at ever and ever sight.” She is the whole reason for his decision to stay at the house, as he is initially put off by her mother, the domineering Charlotte. Humbert takes extreme measures by marrying Charlotte for the sole purpose of staying close to Dolores. After Charlotte’s death, Humbert takes Dolores on the road for an indefinite road trip. He is so attached to her that he becomes easily panicked when he is faced with the possibility of her leaving him. This causes him to be incredibly possessive over her, limiting her interaction with friends her own age to prevent

So far, so good. Having had intercourse with Lolita earlier that morning Humbert, not surprisingly, sees her as his victim, sees both her childlike innocence and the signs of his own brutal assault on that innocence. But at the end of the passage, Humbert's understanding of Lolita and her "lost innocence" changes radically as he proclaims her to

    The relationship between Humbert Humbert and Lolita is no doubt a unique one. Many people who read the novel argue that it is based on "lust", but others say that Humbert really is in "love" with Lolita. However, there is some astounding evidence that Humbert has an obsessional-compulsive disorder with Lolita. The obsession is clearly illustrated when Humbert's actions and behavior are compared to the experts' definitions and descriptions of obsession. In many passages, Humbert displays obsessional tendencies through his descriptive word choice and his controlling personality. Many people are obsessive, so this is not an alien subject. We see it everyday in the entertainment industry as well as in

While Kravitz desperately attempts to avoid a lifetime of “nothingness,” Gatsby struggles to overcome his status as a “poor boy, who can’t marry rich girls.” In essence, poverty is the major contributing factor responsible for the irrepressible desire exemplified by Kravitz and Gatsby. Thus, it is vital that each character experience it. Since Kravitz and Gatsby are exposed to the same challenges during their childhood years, both are able to develop similar psychological characters. Thus, the resounding desire possessed by each as a result of poverty, proves that Kravitz and Gatsby possess the same psychological mindset.

Furthermore, as Lolita can be considered an open text and this paper is concerned with bringing female perspectives to the forefront of the novel, it is reasonable to apply traditional feminist theory to the text to examine Humbert’s marginalisation of women. In particular, this reading will be formulated through applying the work of second-wave feminist Kate Millett, which focuses on exposing the reprehensibility of patriarchal oppression. To begin, Nabokov consistently constructs Humbert to display misogynistic views. To illustrate this, in the scene where Humbert recalls his sexual excitement when Dolores laid across his lap, he fantasizes about being ‘a radiant and robust Turk…enjoying the youngest and frailest of his slaves.’ Due to the reader’s knowledge of Humbert’s affinity for ‘nymphets,’ whom he defines as girls between the age of nine and fourteen, it can be deduced that these ‘slaves’ are female. The word ‘frail’ holds connotations of debility, fragility and vulnerability. Through these negative associations, Nabokov has positioned readers to understand that Humbert views women as inferior to men. This holds relevance to Millett’s theory of female inferiority, through which she explains that ‘the female’s inferior status’ is ‘ascribed to her physical weakness or intellectual inferiority.’ Millett published her work in 1969 during the second wave feminist movement, whereby women demanded equality and challenged patriarchal ideologies regarding sexuality,

Jay Gatsby and Willy Loman are trying to recreate their dreams from their past. Willy’s past was satisfactory. Whereas in Jay Gatsby’s case, his past was the happiest

How can a quiet and peaceful introvert have anything in common with a reckless and uncivil juvenile delinquent? Johnny Kade and Dally Winston are very different. While Johnny is the peacemaker, Dally is the rule breaker. As Johnny tells Ponyboy to stay unique, Dally tells him to toughen up. Although very different, they are also similar. Johnny and Dally grew up in a dangerous environment. They also mind no importance to their lives. Johnny Kade and Dally Winston share similarities and differences.

The universal values portrayed through the texts ‘Sonnets from the Portuguese’ (1845) by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ (1926) highlight the similar and different intertextual perspectives and values relevant to the Victorian Era and 1920 's Jazz Age. Both composers offer compelling critiques of their society dedicating thematic concerns of the restorative power of hope and courtly idealised love. Through numerous literal techniques, substantial diversity arises through the historical context, composer’s personal experiences, and human values.

He indirectly compares her and her sexual to the story of Eve with the use of an apple and a garden. Goldman suggest that Humbert obsession with “sexual transgression” (90) started with him and Annabel. He was about to lose his virginity and got interrupted. This moment haunted him throughout his

However, The audience will find out that Lolita shares many similarities compared to Humbert’s many associates. Humbert speaks about the events regarding The Enchanted Hunter in that, "My life was handled by little Lo in an energetic, matter-of-fact manner as if it were an insensate gadget unconnected with me" (Nabokov, 133). Humbert refers to Lolita as if she is a child playing with a toy. Humbert failed to see that Lolita has now learned how pleasure men sexually and found it to be somewhat acceptable in some form. As his new stepdaughter, she wants to make her stepfather happy in anyway possible. Lolita being a minor, would believe that she will receive love and attention any daughter would get from a father. However, Lolita fails to recognize

According to John Updike, Nabokov wrote with prose the only way it should be written, which was ecstatically. The idea that a man fell in love with a child is something out of the ordinary, but not impossible. What makes this book peculiar is the way it is written. Some of the most difficult chapters are so beautifully written that it is as if Humbert is trying to persuade us into believing his actions are reasonable. Also, the Gale Contextual Encyclopedia says, “Nabokov expresses his regard for human feelings and mortality,” and his view of the European perspective sophisticated superficiality of American culture. It gives us an idea of how intelligent and observant he

The deviancy of Humbert’s sexual encounters with Annable Leigh, his first love, at age 13 is masked by beautiful, erotic language, making their sexual act natural and decent. Humbert asserts that his love for and memory of his first love provided the basis for his affair with Lolita. Humbert’s sexual experience with Annabel takes place one summer night in a garden on the French Riviera. His description of their act contains no sign of trepidation or self-censorship; it is highly poetic from beginning to end. The narrator is not so much trying to describe the erotic games of two

Obsession is defined as “the domination of one’s thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea or desire.” The desire for nonconformity is a praiseworthy attribute but when taken too far, it can be disadvantageous to one’s goals and ambitions. While it is essential for one to seek transient passions, it is also crucial to mollify this pursuit, with concern with actual use. The threats of overindulgence are notably apparent in the case of John, the protagonist of Virginia Woolf’s “Solid Objects”, whose passion for knickknacks turns into a subtle obsession. Woolf expresses her strong criticism of John by intensifying his wasted potentiality and his fixation with fleeting dreams while she commends Charles for his dependability and practicality.