Nabokov Symbolism

Throughout his story, Nabokov emphasizes a negative association with time and its brevity. It can be argued, however, that by writing his memories down on paper, he comes to terms with time’s constant presence. He uses his story to recall notable moments of the past in a somewhat cathartic manner. His vivid, loving descriptions suggest a deep nostalgia for his earlier memories. This nostalgia ultimately allows him to keep the past with him while coming to terms with the idea of time’s inevitable passage.
Nabokov begins his story with a lament that stresses the constraint that Nabokov feels through time’s role in his life. He believes that man’s life is insignificant in contrast to the perpetuity of time. He writes as his very first sentence,

It seems to suggest that humans beings can create nothing impactful in their “crack of light.” We don’t have enough time to make a

His memories of the loss of his father remind him that death is always imminent. His awareness of death hits him when he feels most alive, preventing him from escaping the previously mentioned prison that time creates. Interestingly, he also reaches to his memory of relatives as a form of comfort, or a distraction from the acute awareness that the present brings. This observation suggests that memory serve more of a purpose than as a reminder of time’s passage. While recounting stories about his Uncle Ruka, Nabokov writes, “A sense of security, of well-being, of summer warmth pervades my memory. That robust reality makes a ghost of the present…Everything is as it should be, nothing will ever change, nobody will ever die (77).” While living in the present reminds Nabokov of the ghosts of his past, recounting the past protects Nabokov from the present. It distracts him from considering his eventual passage because he gets to embrace the warmth of his happiest moments. While stories about his relatives remind Nabokov of his looming future, they also ground him in the joy of