Lolita Novel vs Lolita 1997 Film Adaptation by Asmara S.

     I have recently reread the book Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. After I originally read the book, I watched the 1997 adaptation. I noticed some very prominent differences between how the book portrays certain characters compared to the film adaptation. The protagonist and narrator in Lolita, Humbert Humbert, is a French college professor. The story goes back to when he was a teenager. He fell in love and was in a relationship with a girl named Annabel. She died due to illness a few months into their relationship. Ever since then, Humbert Humbert has been seeking the type of girl she represented. Fast forward to his adult years, after the sudden death of his uncle, he decides to move to America. A lady by the name of Charlotte Haze ends up renting a room to him during the summer. Charlotte Haze is a single mother with a daughter named Dolores. Over the summer, Charlotte Haze takes a romantic liking to Humbert Humbert, but he does not reciprocate those feelings. Instead, he becomes infatuated with Dolores. He gives the nickname "Lolita" to Dolores.

    It is important to note that at this point in the story, Humbert Humbert is 37 while Dolores is 12 years old. Nabokov does an excellent job of portraying the ickiness of Humbert Humbert's character. He makes it clear how Humbert Humbert is an unreliable narrator and heavily manipulative. The purpose is to make the reader uncomfortable with the story and see how evil Humbert Humbert is. Alongside this, the language Nabokov uses does not romanticize the relationship between Humbert Humbert and Dolores.

    In contrast, the film paints Humbert Humbert as the victim, simply falling in love with Dolores. The ickiness that the novel gives off is more true to the story. The film seems to miss various aspects that Nabokov portrayed in the book. The film does not emphasize how Humbert Humbert is an unreliable narrator like the novel does. The novel is very upfront with how it is not a love story. The film seems to portray it as one and romanticize it. I think that it is a good idea to read the book first instead of the film. It can really help you understand the story more.

-Asmara S.