Close read, pg 140

The passage I chose to close read was the main paragraph on page 140. For some reason, the way her worded things in this particular section, caught my attention. It is also because this was soon after their first sexual encounter, things were stirring up more than they had been before HH got Lolita from camp, and drastic things were bound to be said/done.

On page 140 at the top of the paragraph starts with Lolita getting into the car after their first morning of being “technically lovers”. Lolita is obviously physically uncomfortable from what happened between her and HH. “Pain flitted across her face” and she makes it obvious to HH that there is something wrong and wants him to see it. Then she calls him a “brute” for asking what’s wrong, she knows it’s not a sincere question because obviously he knows what’s wrong with her. In the car, both are silent, Lolita is in a “mood” and HH is to fearful to speak because he thinks he’ll just set her off. The “cold spiders of panic” are him feeling nervous because of how she’s acting, he doesn’t know if she’ll ever let anything like that happen again, or how she’ll react now that it’s going around in her brain.
Although HH knows he’s being “careless, stupid and ignoble”- he still desires to be with Lolita again, which makes me, realize that he at least does know these actions to be wrong, he just doesn’t care to control them forever. He’s got a guilty feeling, but still, that will not stop him as soon as the guilt wears off, he’s back to going for what he wants.
HH describes himself as a heavy-limbed, foul smelling adult, which makes me think of a monster, animal, a beast. And that is what he is, to the world and to Lolita, who’s only 12; he’s a beast that refuses to be tamed. Because Lolita is only 12, she really cannot have the blame pointed toward her for this. He should be the responsible one, but he can’t stop himself which is also beast like.