The Annotated Lolita - Book Report/Review Example

The novel starts with Humbert's mother, who passed away at a picnic after being hit by lightning. Her death was declared in Part one of the books by the words "Picnic, lightning". "Lolita" describes the scenes of many sudden, if not unexpected, deaths. Annabelle, the first and true love of Humbert, died when she was very young. The story signifies the importance of her death many times. After the death of Annabelle, Humbert tried to find her in other girls. He was trying to get his first love back.

He found great pleasure and happiness in her presence. Humbert loses his true love Annabelle at a very young age of fourteen; he used to long for her, but in the story, the character of Humbert never attempted to have any sexual act with Annabelle. The fact that Humbert lost her first love Annabelle at a very young age leads him to fall in love with another lady named Lolita. The moment Humbert saw Lolita, he calls up all the memories of his first love and the feeling he had for Annabelle. He had powerful sexual desires at the very moment he had a look at Lolita.

"He is obsessed with his memory of Annabel Leigh to the point that his entire life becomes an attempt to make his 'immortal' moment with her in the past eternally present, to possess her forever" (Winston 423).The death of Charlotte Haze, his wife, also played a vital role in the trouble of the young girl, Lolita. Charlotte's death was portrayed and explained as an accident. Who would believe that Charlotte Haze would be smacked by a car which had changed direction suddenly to go without hitting a wild dog, exactly after she studied Humbert's diary and his actual view of her and her daughter Humbert summarizes it by stating, "The cat and the dog and the sun and the shade and the wet and the weak and the strong and the stone, all contributed to Charlotte's death.

"The death of Quilty, on the other hand, occupies many sections, as Humbert makes his last move of executing Quilty by making him accept his fault and admit his role in Lolita's dishonesty. Quilty frequently breaks off Humbert's plan with bribe and ridicule in an effort to make his life longer. The length of Quilty's endpoints out that chance plays a slighter part in this demise than it has in the other deaths. Humbert's climactic murder of Quilty is an ambitious fight between opponents, one that was foresighted and designed all through the novel.