Lolita 280-309

In general terms, i think Lolita ended in a way that I sort of expected. I wasn't really expecting that Humbert would go back to Quilty's mansion and kill him though. As i was reading that section, it took me a little while to determine if it was actually happening or not. Like if it was a dream or something like that because Quilty sort of acted like he wasn't even there when he came out of his bedroom. "He either did not notice me, or else dismissed me as some familiar and innocuous hallucination" (294) Basically, that whole kind of murder scene was fishy to me. Clare Quilty must have either been out of it from a hang-over, or drugs, or just didn't really care about dying. Maybe he actually did feel guilt for the things he had done and did not want to live, but i'm not sure about that one. Throughout this whole scene he is actually fine and not scared that there is a gun pointed right at him. As he read his "sentence to death" in the poetic form he begins to compliment on Humberts poetry, "That's good you know. That's damned good." (299).
As this goes on you can tell that Humbert is having a hard time finally committing the murder, dropping the gun, talking to Quilty, shooting him many times to finally kill him. You can tell there is also some fear in Humbert because he is afraid to go and feel Quilty to make sure he's dead. When he gets back to the first floor all of Quilty's friends are there and ready to go to the game. Humbert tells them that he just killed them and they seem pleased saying things like "Good for you" and "Somebody ought to have done it a long time ago" (305). Are these friends actually there or is Humbert just having a hallucination, like something in The Shining? That is what i could not pinpoint, i mean he is insane and he did just kill somebody, and these "friends" are taking his side on it. But anyhow, i guess Humbert, Quilty, and Lolita are dead now since the book has been published.

Lolita 179-236

I find the situation between Humbert and Dolores to be very interesting. It is very weird. Lolita is a very interesting teen, or nymphet as Humbert Humbert would call her. She lost her virginity at a early age and is experienced i guess you could call it for a girl her age. She goes very back and forth when it comes to Humbert. Sometimes i feel bad for her, and at other times i don't because i believe she plays him on just as much as he trys to get with her. I feel bad that she is basically stuck with Humbert and is kind of like his little in house hooker, he buys her things and gives her money to perform the acts that she does. Humbert got a good scare when he had to go in to the meeting with Mrs. Pratt thinking that his secret had been found out. Turns out that Lo has not been doing well in school and is not maturing sexually. It was kind of ironic to me when Pratt began talking to Humbert about him needing to allow Lo to take part in "The Hunted Enchanters" play not only because it closely resemble the name of the hotel that they stayed at when touring throughout America but also for the line that she says following. "You must allow her to take part in The Hunted Enchanters. She was such a perfect little nymph in the try-out," (196) It's funny because she is the perfect nymphet to him, just not in a play...its in real life. He is convinced to let her perform in the play, and to allow her to start being around more boys. And I couldn't believe that only minutes after the scare he had of being caught he met Lolita while she was still at school and "unbuttoned [his] overcoat and for sixty-five cents plus the permission to participate in the school play, had Dolly put her inky, chalky, red-knuckled hand under the desk." (198)..... so got a hand job at her school? he's got problems. They say that there is a fine line between being a genius and being insane, and i think Humbert is a perfect example. He prides himself on his intellect and likes to think of himself as better than most people. At the beginning of my read he talks about his games of chess with his one friend in Beardsley, Gaston Godin. Gaston seems to help him a lot and is a nice person, but most of what Humbert has to say is about him is "There he was, devoid of any talent whatsoever, a mediocre teacher, a worthless scholar, a glum repulsive fat old invert, highly contemptuous of the American way of life" (183) Humbert really thinks highly of himself to think of others in that way. I was also sort of confused at the part when he questions Lo's friend Mona. She moves closer and closer to him, close enough to where he can smell the lotion on her skin and asks "was my Lo playing the pimp?"(192) So does Mona have the hots for him? does Lo talk to Mona about what her and Humbert do?