In a society where pedophiles are deemed as obsessive, predatory individuals that are frowned upon, an engaging narrative in which the protagonist expresses his vile lust towards the innocent seems highly indecent. However, Nabokov makes that idea a reality in the 1955 novel “Lolita”. A scenic interpretation of the story, executed by Adrian Lyne, comes out in 1997, revisiting the old, yet still shocking tale of the incestuous, pedophilic relationship in which Lolita Haze is held hostage and Humbert Humbert takes great pleasure in. Although Nabokov and Lyne approached the element of character development quite differently, they shared the similar depiction of the settings and plot that the story holds. Equally outrageous and brilliant, both
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“But how his heart beat when, among the innocent throng, he espied a demon child, (...) ten years in jail if you only show you were looking at her” (20). In the book, Humbert depicts Lolita as donning tomboyish, sloppy clothing, with large silhouettes. However, it was her messiness that he loved : “and I felt the heat of her limbs through her rough tomboy clothes” (32). It is only after her mother’s death that Humbert picks Lolita up from camp and dresses her in revealing, frilly clothing, ready to fully embrace the incestuous relationship that follows. Lyne’s Lolita, on the other hand, is vastly different from the original character. Lyne increases the girl’s age from 12-13 to 14-15, a crucial detail in the character development. Likewise, the nature of the character is altered in the sequence as Lolita is portrayed as a hypersexual, tantalizing adolescent whereas she is depicted as a wretched lamb in the novel. Donning a revealing, provocative wardrobe from her introduction to the story, Lolita is seen as a prey waiting to be preyed on. Manipulative, performing sexually explicit acts on screen as a way to come into possession with Humbert’s kindness as a result, Lolita is candidly outrageous in the film. …show more content…
On a journey, running away from the possible concern from the townspeople regarding the strange relationship Humbert has with his stepdaughter, he takes her on a trip across the States for two years, ostensibly holding her hostage despite her want and need, as a developing individual, to sprout relationships and socialize with people her age. Highly aesthetic, the artistic bliss that Lolita provides is upheld in both Nabokov’s and Lyne’s works. Starting off in Europe in the midst of Humbert’s childhood, then progressing to the USA, through various states and hotels as the weeks go by, the ever-changing ambience highlights Humbert’s severe paranoia as well as his controlling nature. As the seasons go by, consistently on the road, Lolita sneakily learns how to drive without Humbert’s approval, giving her a certain autonomy and having a capital relevance to the plot that the story holds. Further, the first hotel the couple stays in following the death of the girl’s mother, “The Enchanted Hunter”, represents a major element of symbolism in the story, as it is the first hotel in which Humbert in the novel, is vaguely described to have raped Lolita, and in the film bluntly does so. “The Enchanted Hunter” also represents the very place in which Lolita meets the
“But how his heart beat when, among the innocent throng, he espied a demon child, (...) ten years in jail if you only show you were looking at her” (20). In the book, Humbert depicts Lolita as donning tomboyish, sloppy clothing, with large silhouettes. However, it was her messiness that he loved : “and I felt the heat of her limbs through her rough tomboy clothes” (32). It is only after her mother’s death that Humbert picks Lolita up from camp and dresses her in revealing, frilly clothing, ready to fully embrace the incestuous relationship that follows. Lyne’s Lolita, on the other hand, is vastly different from the original character. Lyne increases the girl’s age from 12-13 to 14-15, a crucial detail in the character development. Likewise, the nature of the character is altered in the sequence as Lolita is portrayed as a hypersexual, tantalizing adolescent whereas she is depicted as a wretched lamb in the novel. Donning a revealing, provocative wardrobe from her introduction to the story, Lolita is seen as a prey waiting to be preyed on. Manipulative, performing sexually explicit acts on screen as a way to come into possession with Humbert’s kindness as a result, Lolita is candidly outrageous in the film. …show more content…
On a journey, running away from the possible concern from the townspeople regarding the strange relationship Humbert has with his stepdaughter, he takes her on a trip across the States for two years, ostensibly holding her hostage despite her want and need, as a developing individual, to sprout relationships and socialize with people her age. Highly aesthetic, the artistic bliss that Lolita provides is upheld in both Nabokov’s and Lyne’s works. Starting off in Europe in the midst of Humbert’s childhood, then progressing to the USA, through various states and hotels as the weeks go by, the ever-changing ambience highlights Humbert’s severe paranoia as well as his controlling nature. As the seasons go by, consistently on the road, Lolita sneakily learns how to drive without Humbert’s approval, giving her a certain autonomy and having a capital relevance to the plot that the story holds. Further, the first hotel the couple stays in following the death of the girl’s mother, “The Enchanted Hunter”, represents a major element of symbolism in the story, as it is the first hotel in which Humbert in the novel, is vaguely described to have raped Lolita, and in the film bluntly does so. “The Enchanted Hunter” also represents the very place in which Lolita meets the