Solipsism, which is the theory that one’s mind is the only entity certain to exist, has various moral implications that allow people with solipsistic views of their world to justify their mistreatment of others. In Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, Humbert Humbert, a self-proclaimed murderer and lover of “nymphets”, demonstrates a solipsistic worldview which causes him to see everything in relationship to himself, creating new personas for various characters and only narrating the series of events from his perspective. Humbert’s solipsism makes him view everything that happens to him solely from his point of view, as he believes his mind is all that exists, therefore making the events that transpire solely acts of fate and the people he encounters figments of his imagination. Humbert’s solipsism compromises the reliability of his narration, as he describes characters exclusively from his point of view by stripping them of their individuality and describing them solely in relation to himself; Humbert’s tendency to write exclusively from his own point of view forces the reader to accept the series of events he presents as the truth, without any external input, allowing him to completely control the reader’s perception of him and the events of the novel.
Humbert’s solipsism allows him to create his own imaginary world in which he controls everything, including the creation of a cast of characters whom he describes however he sees fit; Humbert’s description of various characters, especially Charlotte Haze, and allow him to control the reader’s perception of the plot, removing any objectivity from his narration. Humbert’s desire for sympathy from the reader in order to justify his actions causes him to describe certain characters in specif...
... middle of paper ...
...the various names that accompany them, writing, “She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita” (9). By using attributing different names to the various roles she plays and creating the name Lolita to use when she is with him, Humbert makes the character Lolita a figment of his expansive imagination. In one of Humbert’s rare moments of overt honesty he writes, “Lolita had been safely solipsized…I watched her, rosy, gold-dusted, beyond the veil of my controlled delight, unaware of it, alien to it…” (60) and later continues to write, “what I had possessed was not she, but my own creation, another fanciful Lolita- perhaps more real than Lolita; overlapping, encasing her; floating between me and her, and having no will, no
Literary critic and the novel’s annotator Alfred Appel Jr. claims “what is extraordinary about Lolita is the way in which Nabokov enlists us, against our will, on Humbert’s side… Humbert has figuratively made the reader his accomplice in both statutory rape and murder” (Durantaye, Style Is Matter: the Moral Art of Vladimir Nabokov 8). Nabokov employs various literary devices such as direct second reader address, metaphor, and allusions through Humbert Humbert as a means to conjure up feelings of empathy. The reader comes to find that . It is clear that Humbert Humbert uses second person address as a way to control how the reader perceives him. Through the use of this narrative mode, he aims to convince the reader that his sexual violence is artistically justifiable and that the art he creates is a remedy for mortality. I will argue is that art is not a remedy for mortality because in Humbert Humbert’s creation of Lolita, t...
...rization and perception in this story leads the reader to dissect the underground man’s thinking. Flaubert’s approach to “A Simple Heart” lends the reader to feels sorry for Felicite not having a life of her own yet giving it all to the family. Even though she lived her life for the family she had a life of caring for someone she loved as it is will lives of everyday people.
Criticizing the cruelty of society, Baudelaire begins his book, Flowers of Evil, with a warning. To foreshadow the disturbing contents that his book focuses on, Baudelaire describes the unpleasant traits of men. Lured by the words of the Devil, people victimize others. Grotesque images of torture and swarming maggots exemplifies the horrors of our actions. Yes, our actions. Baudelaire puts shame to every human, including the reader, through the word “ours.” Humiliated, the reader dare not to allow himself to be guilty with the worst sin – boredom. Separated by dashes, the last sentence commands the reader to choose whether to fall to the worst or save himself a little bit of dignity. Accused and challenged, the reader is pressured to ponder
An ethical or moral reading of Lolita would lead the reader to the question of forgiveness of Humbert for his actions toward Lolita. To fully understand all that is involved in this question it is necessary to examine the word forgiveness. The word "forgiveness" has been used extensively throughout...
Gustave Flaubert incorporates and composes a realistic piece of literature using realistic literaryature techniques in his short story, “A Simple Heart.” Flaubert accomplishes this through telling a story that mimics the real life of Félicité, and writing fiction that deliberately cuts across different class hierarchies; through this method, Flaubert is able to give the reader a clear understanding of the whole society. Flaubert makes the unvarnished truth about simple hearts clear by exposing a clear replica of a realistic story, therefore, allowing the reader to clearly understand the society and the different classes of characters.
In Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, the overruling drive of the narrator, Humbert Humbert, is his want to attest himself master of all, whether man or woman, his prime cravings, all-powerful destiny, or even something as broad as language. Through the novel the reader begins to see Humbert’s most extreme engagements and feelings, from his marriage to his imprisonment, not as a consequence of his sensual, raw desires but rather his mental want to triumph, to own, and to control. To Humbert, human interaction becomes, or is, very unassuming for him: his reality is that females are to be possessed, and men ought to contest for the ownership of them. They, the women, become the very definition of superiority and dominance. But it isn’t so barbaric of Humbert, for he designates his sexuality as of exceptionally polished taste, a penchant loftier than the typical man’s. His relationship with Valerie and Charlotte; his infatuation with Lolita; and his murdering of Quilty are all definite examples of his yearning for power. It is so that throughout the novel, and especially by its conclusion, the reader sees that Humbert’s desire for superiority subjugates the odd particularities of his wants and is the actual reason of his anguish.
Humbert's main strength is his sense of humor. Nabokov is sure to throw Humbert's way all the American kitsch he can handle - mostly in the form of Charlotte Haze. His sly insults sail over her head, but Humbert wins our approval by making sure we understand them. Similarly, we admire him be...
In conclusion, by incorporating such rich detail and full imagery through scholarly grammar and vocabulary, Humbert Humbert participates in the act of manipulating his audience through his clever use of wordplay, confrontation, and delusions in order to escape fault for his immoral acts against an innocent girl. Although he is writing a memoir, Humbert does not hold back when it comes to his choice of words. Through his beautiful writing and poetic prose, H.H. is successful in influencing the horror of the true events in Lolita – concluding that through art, beauty can be found even in the most tragic occurrences.
Without a doubt, Humbert is a villain, but by empathizing with him, we have subconsciously forgiven him in his wrongdoings. All along, Humbert had deeply loved and long for Lolita and all throughout his time with her, he acknowledges the depth of his immorality. What had triggered our sympathy was his persistency to obtain what he loved most and the disclosure of his guilt, which he claims could never be forgiven. However, we as readers, seeing the he sincerely feels guilty and castigates himself, makes us accept him
Gustave Flaubert incorporates and composes a realistic piece of literature using realistic literature techniques in his short story, “A Simple Heart.” Flaubert accomplishes this through telling a story that mimics the real life of Félicité, and writing fiction that deliberately cuts across different class hierarchies; through this method, Flaubert
The narrator, Madeline and Roderick all fit together and complete the human psyche. The narrator represents the superego, an unselfish, conscious filled perspective, while Madeline portrays the total opposite id of the story. As seen, Roderick symbolizes the ego of the story, since he has qualities of both the id and the superego. Even though “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a popular short story, it is not the only piece of literature that includes Freud’s concepts. Everyone human being, at one point or another, and characters from literature, contain the qualities of ego, superego and id. For example, as a baby, everyone illustrates the qualities of id because at that age, all one knows what to do is act based upon one’s emotions. Overall, Roderick, Madeline and the narrator, in “The Fall of the House of Usher” are just one example of how Sigmund Freud’s personality theory is portrayed in everyday
Flaubert’s realism and Allende’s magic realism techniques allow the authors to both create and destroy suspense in order to mirror their respective attitudes towards fate. In Madame Bovary, Flaubert consistently builds anticipation with the extreme detail common to the realist genre. After building up the suspense to an almost unbearable intensity, he ends the section with a flat statement that destroys any suspense in an ultimately anticlimactic way. These endings frustrate the reader, but also mirror Emma’s journey and her romantic ideals. Flaubert parallels the plot and its implications on the idea of fate with detail. Emma and Leon, when first flirting, go to the house of the nurse for Berthe, but Flaubert describes the hedges on the way there in excruciating detail: “They were in bloom, and so were the speedwells, eglantines, thistles...
Madame Bovary is a novel in which the personal, provincial, and emotional landscape of human relationships form a critique of humanity that supersedes individuals with their society as a whole. Though Emma Bovary belongs to a specific moment in time and space the struggles which she faces and overcomes are universal. The actions of Emma Bovary are representative of underrepresented, dissatisfied, and deprived peoples who must find ways to overcome oppressive social conventions and dismantle them in the process. Through the narrative format of Madame Bovary Flaubert explores the complexity of human physical, emotional, and psychological desires and satirizes the inhumanity of modern materialistic cultures.
In the world created by Gustave Flaubert, Emma Bovary lives in torment. As a dreamer and idealized hopeless romantic, characters and critics belittle and disgrace her. Characters like Charles’ mother complain that Emma is idealistic because she reads too many romance novels that trifle with her mind. Some critics echo this complaint, while others defend Emma against this charge. I side with the latter and argue that Emma cannot be held responsible for idealistic notions she gets from novels because her entire social context insists that she substitute novel reading for actual experience, whether it be sexual or romantic. Emma is smart and sharp-witted; her idealistic romanticized notions are merely an adaptation to reality given her societal
Lewis Carroll may have created a whole new world for his Alice to explore, but Flaubert had the harder job. He had to replicate the world that everyone knows, taking time to explore the very details that make this world real and tangible. Whether it be dust accumulating on furniture, everyday people plodding through mud to get to work, or nagging mothers, Flaubert details images and impressions that most overlook, but which truly constitute reality. Emma tries her best to ignore this reality, but it confronts her insistently, reminding her daily of all the things she dee...