Part Two's trip around the US is a device used by H.H. to put Lolita in an environment that he has complete control over. Since the start of his sexual relationship with Lolita, H.H. Has become increasingly more controlling over Lolita's actions. This is because H.H. is very aware of how society views his "tastes" and being caught would ruin his credibility and social freedom, it would also take Lolita away. I thought one of the most interesting parts in the first few chapters was H.H.'s conversation with Lolita about what would happen if they got caught. I thought it surprising that H.H. told Lolita so much about what would happen to him if he got caught. The conversation was a successful controlling tactic he used on Lolita. H.H. specifically used simpler speech and some slang to connect and get across to her. He first tried to explain that their relationship was "natural" and that he was nothing like the real lewd and immoral men in the other stories. He then gets surprisingly truthful with Lolita, basically admitting to her and himself that what he's doing is punishable by modern society by several years in prison, but he uses this fact to almost say "but not as bad as what's going to happen to you". He also threatens her with "psychoanalysis", a process that he doesn't believe in. I think this conversation was a slight mistake on H.H.'s part because he gives Lolita so much truthful information about the criminal nature of his actions. Just as he threatened her with being caught she could do just the same. I think that H.H. often underestimates and misjudges Lolita therefore giving her a large amount of power over himself. In this conversation H.H. is very hypocritical, as in he states to Lolita that he is no "middle aged morals offender" transporting young girls for immoral practices though the page before he calls her his "pubescent concubine". His uses of psychoanalysis are hypocritical because he doesn't believe they work yet he uses them as a threat. He calls himself Lolita's "therapist" (rather than her rapist) though he ignores her glaring psychological issues. Unless completely distracted Lolita is a "skeleton... sagged and collapsed", she is also prone to aggressive/cruel behaviors and a skewed moral compass. He is also constantly afraid of what someone learn of their real relationship while analyzing their father daughter facade. In chapter 11 when H.H. is confronted by Mrs. Pratt about certain issues Lolita is having at school he momentarily considers the possibility of someone using a hypnotist on Lolita and discovering their secret. Anyway, I believe that by trying to control Lolita and then tighten said control to match his quickly growing desires that H.H. ends up giving Lolita a significant amount of control over him in return.
What did you think about Mrs. Pratt's ironic and futile conversation with H.H. in chapter 11?
Is there a specific point in which you find that Lolita has more control over H.H. than he does over her?
What do you think is H.H's reasoning for participating in the dual natures of father and lover?
What do you think will be the final effect of H.H's skewed practices and mental conditioning on Lolita's personality/psyche?
I feel as though H.H fulfills both of these roles to assert complete dominance over her, be it sexually, socially or financially. She is completely dependent on him and i think he tries to utilize this to his advantage so she won't run away. He also informs her of the nature of their relationship and how wrong it is but also how "natural" it is to decriminalize his actions to her. I feel like this gives Lolita an advantage to blackmail him and also find a way to report him, but he is her only 'guardian,and i use that loosely, to care for her and i feel like she realizes this. In these chapters her teachers refer to Lolita as having a 'stunted sexuality' so yes if something doesn't happen to her by the end of the book her relationships from then on out will be affected whether they are male paternal/ or romantic since she really wasn't explored/informed of sex in a safe space.
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