2019 Year 12 IB Extended Essays

‘Humbert acts as a retrospective focaliser: he can oversee the past as well as the present, as the story written is something he has already experienced’ (L. Herman, 2001). Since Humbert writes of the events presented in the novel well after they have actually happened it is entirely probable that these events have been tarnished by his memory and are inaccurate and therefore unreliable. ‘Humbert himself admits the potential inaccuracy of his memories referring to himself as “a murderer with a sensational but incomplete and unorthodox memory” (p247), indeed he declares himself a suspect source’ (More, 2001). However, Humbert constantly contradicts himself; throughout his story as throughout Chapter 11 he states he has a photographic memory (p40) and is able to recall multiple diary entries written several years prior, Humbert also thinks of himself as a “conscientious recorder” (p74), at the same time Humbert also reflects that: “It is just possible that had I gone to a strong hypnotist he might have extracted from me and arrayed in a logical pattern certain memories that I have threaded through my book with considerably more ostentation that they present themselves with to my mind even now when I know what to seek in the past” (p290). This is one of the first times Humbert reveals a weakness, he is uncertain of himself accepting his memory was not what it used to be. This is an example of Nabokov creating his character to be more relatable to the average reader. One can relate to the lack of memory, the confusion of events which might or might not have taken place. By admitting weakness this allows for Humbert to be susceptible to sympathy from the reader, as well as making Humbert more likeable to the reader by humanising him. This greatly confuses the reader, as one begins to find Humbert’s character rather endearing, despite his terrible actions.

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