Lolita
(Vladmir Nabokov)

Humbert Humbert (H.H)

Humbert is the narrator of the story, an Englishman with an air of sophistication and cultural appreciation who deems American culture as inferior, though he appreciates the freedom. Humbert has a fetish for young girls after losing his girlfriend when they were both young, and develops an unhealthy sexual relationship with his stepdaughter, Lolita.

Humbert sends his manuscript, or confession and plea, to a psychologist named John Ray while he awaits trial for murder. He killed Clare Quilty, a fellow pedophile whom Lolita left him for. Humbert has a beautiful way with words and turns his confession of guilt into a romantic story of lust, love, and loss, making him seem less of a monster to anyone reading.

Dolores Haze/”Lolita”

Lolita is what Humbert refers to as a “nymphet”. He claims that their relationship was a result of her seductions, rather than of his pedophilic lust. Lolita is attracted to Humbert at first and competes with her mother, Charlotte, for his attention, which he gladly gives her.

Eventually she gets bored with the intellect and culture she once found attractive and sets her sites on other men. She is more attached to American culture than interested in European culture and thus finds American guys more appealing. She falls for the older Clare Quilty, but he leaves her after she refuses to participate in child pornography.

Charlotte Haze

Charlotte is the mother of Lolita. When Humbert moves to the United States, he stays with Charlotte and falls for her daughter. To stay close to Lolita, Humbert decides he will marry Charlotte though he not only does not love her, but he cannot stand her.

Charlotte is blinded by Humbert’s European sophistication and aspires to be on his level but is never more than a housewife. Charlotte finds Humbert’s journal where he documents his hatred for her and his feelings for Lolita. Charlotte confronts Humbert about what she has read, and he adamantly denies it, though she has the evidence. Charlotte storms off in anger and is hit by a car, which kills her.

Clare Quilty

Quilty is present for most of the novel though he does not seem significant until the very end. Quilty is extremely similar to Humbert in that he is a sophisticated older man who has a passion for young girls. He follows Humbert and Lolita for most of the novel and eventually kidnaps her from the hospital, though she is willing to go with him because she is in love with him. When Lolita refuses to be a part of his child pornography he gets bored with her and leaves. Upon hearing of Quilty’s relationship with Lolita, Humbert shoots Quilty, and he dies.

Annabel Leigh

Annabel is Humbert’s girlfriend when they are both kids. Annabel’s family used to vacation at the hotel that was owned by Humbert’s family. Humbert is extremely smitten with Annabel, and though they do have a physical relationship they do not have sex.

Annabel comes down with typhus, which kills her, and Humbert never gets over her death, even after undergoing mental help. Humbert’s lust for Annabel continued throughout his life and is shadowed in his lust for other preteen girls, such as Lolita. Humbert has an unhealthy obsession with Annabel after her death that only comes to end when he moves his infatuation and obsession on to Lolita.

John Ray, PhD.

John Ray is the psychologist who opens the novel and whom Humbert has sent a copy of his manuscript. Ray is instructed to only publish the manuscript upon the death of Lolita, which he honors.

John Ray finds Humbert’s case to be fascinating and believes that his manuscript will be studied in psychology circles for many years to come. He does not believe that Humbert is insane, but rather an extremely damaged man. Ray looks at Humbert’s case from a simplistic psychological point of view, which serves as an outlet for Nabokov’s distrust in psychology.

Ray serves as a means for Nabokov to mock the simplistic logic, that he feels psychologists employ.

Valeria

Valeria was Humbert’s first wife. He married her in an attempt to mask and diminish his attraction for young girls, thinking that a normal domestic life will do the trick. Ironically, what attracted Humbert to Valeria was the fact that she reminded him of a young girl in her appearance and mannerisms.

Humbert viewed Valeria as intellectually inferior to him and often exerts his dominance over her. Eventually, when Humbert decides to move to America, Valeria leaves him for a Russian cab driver. Years later Valeria dies in California where she and her husband were participating in mysterious experiments.

Rita

Rita is the woman who Humbert half-heartedly attempted to have a relationship with after Lolita disappeared from the hospital. Rita was an alcoholic but exceptionally kind and goodhearted. Rita drove around the United States for two years with Humbert, in search of Lolita, and she is the only older woman Humbert had ever been involved with that he spoke well of.

He insults her intelligence, of course, and views her as inferior to himself, but does find her amazingly kind and levels above both Charlotte and Valeria. Rita is often in trouble with the law and fears she will lose Humbert because of this, but he finds absolute comfort in her presence.

John Farlow

John is married to Jean, and they are friends of Humbert and Charlotte. When Charlotte dies, John is left in charge of her estate. He eventually decides that the situation is too complicated for him to handle and he passes the responsibility off to a lawyer.

Upon the death of his wife, John moves to South America where he lives with the Spanish girl. John learns that there are people who are interested in Charlotte’s house and once it is sold Humbert gets the money for it, which is what he gives to Lolita when she comes to him asking for a handout.

Jean Farlow

Jean is the wife of John and a friend of Humbert and Charlotte. Though Charlotte and Humbert spend time with few people, Jean is one of them. After Charlotte dies, Jean tells Humbert that she has had a crush on him for some time, and she kisses him.

She understands that they will not have a relationship but does tell him that she hopes they will meet again sometime. Jean dies at an unusually young age after she is overcome with cancer. Upon her death John moves to South America.

Gaston Grodin

Gaston is a friend of Humbert and also a professor at Beardsley College. Gaston got Humbert his teaching job and is one of the few people Humbert became close with. Humbert of course finds Gaston’s intelligence inferior to his own and thus finds him harmless.

Humbert and Gaston would often play chess together, and Gaston was allowed to visit Humbert’s home only because he was extremely unobservant and would never guess of Humbert’s relationship with Lolita, mostly because he does not pay the slightest attention to Lolita. It is assumed and implied that Gaston’s interests lie in young men, rather than women.

Dick Schiller

Dick is Lolita’s husband who is deaf in one ear. He is an honest, good natured, hard-working guy who seems to be exceedingly fond of Lolita, whom he calls “Dolly”. He has no idea of Lolita’s past with Humbert or Clare Quilty.

Lolita is not crazy about Dick in the same way she was with Quilty, but she finds him to be a decent guy, and she is pregnant with his child so she holds on to him. Dick and Lolita plan to move to Alaska together where they will start a new life.

Mona Dahl

Mona is a close friend of Lolita’s at the Beardsley School for Girls and knows of Lolita’s relationship with Humbert. Mona is also sexually experienced with older men, most notably a Marine, and Lolita thinks she has her sights set on Humbert next.

She obviously does have a crush on Humbert though he is not interested in her, only in the secrets he knows she holds. Humbert finds her too loyal to Lolita because she covers for Lolita whenever she does something wrong. When Humbert finds out that Lolita has not been going to her piano lessons, Mona lies for her.

Mrs. Pratt

Mrs. Pratt is the headmistress at the Beardsley School and puts a strong emphasis on the sexual development of the girls at her school over their intellectual growth. Mrs. Pratt feels as though Lolita is not developing sexually, although she has a frequent and intense sexual relationship with Humbert.

Ironically, Humbert is appalled by Mrs. Pratt’s concern with the girls’ sexual progress. Humbert believes that Mrs. Pratt is crazy and not of sound mind because she feels as though Gaston is on the level of a genius and that Lolita’s eyes are blue, which Humbert denies.

Ivor Quilty

Ivor is a well-liked dentist and the uncle of Clare Quilty. Ivor has been a friend of the Haze family for a frightfully long time and has no idea of his nephew’s relationship with Lolita Haze or his other unhealthy sexual ideals; he merely refers to him as a “rascal” who he seems to be quite fond of.

When Humbert is searching for Clare to exact revenge on him for his treatment of Lolita, he pretends that he needs dental work and visits with Ivor. Ivor gives Humbert the information he needs to find Clare, not knowing Humbert’s real intentions.