2019 Year 12 IB Extended Essays

cause, or at least sympathising for him; doing this via his psychological tricks and blaming his mental state. Although there are certain indicators which point to Humbert being mentally unfit, many argue that this is Humbert attempting to further manipulate the reader into sympathising for his cause, giving him an excuse for his actions. The creation of such an endearing yet unreliable narrator allows for Nabokov to provoke the reader to think deeply about two main themes; morality and what is considered right or wrong. Finally, the codominant purpose for Nabokov writing Lolita was to bring to surface multiple illicit and taboo topics for the 1950s; namely paedophilia and the idea of mental health. In doing this, not only does Nabokov provoke society to be more open to talking about previously ‘forbidden’ topics, but to be less ignorant to what terrible things go in the world. Nabokov once again forces the reader to explore the questions of morality and identify with Humbert. The reader is left to question their own moral compass, asking themselves ‘how could I possibly find myself liking such a despicable character?’.

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