Lolita: A question of sanity

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Because Vladmir Nabokov's Lolita contains such disturbing content, it is easy to lose track of the true point of the novel. Nabokov has created a fictional tale that revolves around a man's guilt or innocence for the crime of murder. When reading Humbert Humbert’s letter of defense, as told by the narrator of the story, it becomes quite easy to lose sight of whether or not he should be punished for murder because of the crimes he committed with a young adolescent. In the midst of all this confusion comes the question of sanity. Humbert would like his readers to excuse his crime of murder and punish him for the crimes that he committed against Lolita (308). If the question of H.H.;s sanity were the deciding factor, then his recommendations would be a very appropriate punishment.Because of his lack of sanity at the time of the Cue;s murder, H.H. should be exonerated of the charge; however, because he was completely sane while committing his crimes with Lolita, he should be severely punished.
The question of sanity is tricky because it seems there is a thin line between sane and insane behavior. In fact, it seems often to be a judgment call; however, Nabokov gives his reader several clues which point to the sanity of H.H. at different times throughout the novel. Perhaps the biggest indicator of sanity that Nabokov gives his reader is that of H.H. knowledge of right and wrong.In the beginning of the novel, he constantly fights his desires for Lolita because he knows that they are wrong. Throughout the novel, H.H. is paranoid that someone will catch him and Lolita together. This alone proves that he knew his actions were wrong. It could be argued that his paranoia of being caught as well as the fact that he wanted to perform sexual acts with a child are indicators of insanity; however, desires do not make one insane, nor does the fear of being caught prove instability. When Nabokov chooses t