Obsession in Vladimir Nabokovs Lolita Essay -- Nabokov Lolita Essays

irresistible impulse in Lolita The relationship betwixt Humbert Humbert and Lolita is no doubt a unique one. many an(prenominal) people who state the novel argue that it is based on lust, but others say that Humbert really is in love with Lolita. However, there is some astounding shew that Humbert has an arrested developmental-compulsive disorder with Lolita. The obsession is clearly illustrated when Humberts actions and behavior are compared to the experts definitions and descriptions of obsession. In numerous passages, Humbert displays obsessional tendencies through his descriptive word choice and his controlling someoneality. Many people are obsessive, so this is not an alien subject. We see it normal in the entertainment industry as well as in everyday life. Comparing Humbert Humbert to clinical and other definitions, it seems as if Humbert is one person who is an obsessed person. Obsession is a tricky topic because it is hard to catch up with a concre te definition. Who decides what obsession is? Where does one draw the tie between obsession and deep admiration? According to S. Jack Rachman, an obsession is an intrusive, repetitive thought, image, or impulse that is unacceptable or unwanted and gives originate to subjective resistance (2). In addition, Andrew Brink states that ...the popular meaning of the terminus obsession, including the new verb to May 2 obsess, which means to be persistently absent about something, usually an unsatisfactory relationship (195). Both of these definitions are fairly similar, so now it is important to look at Humberts actions and analyze how he fits into these defined categories. First, Brink argues that most people, especially men, have an obsessiona... ...aracter, but he is not abnormal. We have many Humberts running around our world, regardless of if we suck up it or not. Nabokov, a man not too distant from Humbert, set up a way to rationalize his obsession through Lolit a - indeed an nice and creative move on his part. WORKS CITED Beech, H. R. Obsessional States. London Methuen & Co. LTD, 1974. Brink, Andrew. Obsession and Culture A Study of Sexual Obsession in modern font Fiction. London Associated University Presses, Inc., 1996. Nabokov, Vladamir. The Annotated Lolita. new(a) York Vintage Books, 1991. Ostling, Richard N. A Fatal Obsession with the Stars. Time. 31 July 1989 43-44. Rachman, S. Jack. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Psychological and Pharmacological Treatment. New York Plenum Press, 1985. Salzman, Leon. The Obsessive Personality. New York Science House, 1968.