Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up… with her single mother in Ramsdale, New Hampshire. Dolores, or “Lolita” as her mother calls her, was fatherless until Charlotte met Humbert Humbert, a British professor who lodges with the Haze family after moving to America. However, her new stepfather's interest in Lolita is more than paternal.
Living… on the road with her stepfather. After her mother’s tragic, accidental death, Lolita and Humbert embark on an odyssey through America together. Though they act like father and daughter in public, Lolita and Humbert’s relationship is quite different behind closed doors.
Interests… soda-pop, bubble gum, and flirting with the opposite sex. Lolita, since entering her pre-adolescent years, has been overly, almost inappropriately flirtatious. Though her mother defends her: “It’s only natural and healthy that she should take an interest in those fascinating creatures known as the opposite sex.”
Relationship Status… involved in an inappropriate relationship with her stepfather. Lolita’s prolonged involvement with the middle-aged Humbert Humbert has deprived her of a proper youth. Out of jealousy, Humbert attempts to keep Lolita from her peers, and eventually, she bows to his wishes. In response to Humbert's anger, Lolita says, “I want to leave school… I don’t want you to be mad at me anymore. Everything’s gonna be great from now on.”
Challenge… coming to terms with what a school counselor describes as “the onset of maturity.” In addition to taking her innocence, Lolita’s relationship with her stepfather has warped her expectations of relationships with men.
Personality… flirtatious, immature, and often childlike. Lolita’s tone is always somewhere between knowingly seductive and childishly innocent. In the same breath that she asks Humbert if he ever "did it as a kid," Lolita is capable of gushing about her favorite stars or asking for pocket money. Humbert describes her as a mixture of “tender, dreamy childishness and a kind of eerie vulgarity," but it's questionable how accurate his descriptions truly are. It's hard to see how Lolita will ever live a normal, happy life given her childhood, but getting away from Humbert would likely be a good start.