Lolita

I think Humbert’s relationship with adult women show his dark, calculating nature, which one cannot sense from his otherwise refined writing. During his marriage with Valeria, he rarely sleeps with her and treats her with utter disdain. In fact, Humbert’s sole reason for marrying Valeria was to try to curb his illegal desires and remove suspicion from himself; this reveals his manipulative nature. When Valeria confesses of cheating on Humbert, he feels complete hatred and betrayal. I can’t believe he actually had the nerve to feel betrayed considering he himself was not faithful by being indifferent towards her. This shows his self-centeredness, and his capacity for violence and cruelty. I’m all the more fearing what he would do to poor Lolita.

However, when Valeria reveals the person she was having affairs with:

"But who is it?" I shouted at last, striking her on the knee with my fist; and she, without even wincing, stared at me as if the answer were too simple for words, then gave a quick shrug and pointed at the thick neck of the taxi driver.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony and farcicality of the situation. In contrast to the tension of the violence earlier, it went funny from there—from the awkward rendezvous at the cafe (The taxi driver was “a stocky White Russian ex-colonel with a bushy mustache and a crew cut … the Tsarist ordered wine …”) to the part where Valeria packs her clothes after being kicked out by Humbert (She was “… by now shedding torrents of tears tinged with the mess of her rainbow make-up …” “ … Valechka took down with a flourish her pink panties from the clothesline above the tub … ”). What a stark contrast: the sleek, handsome Humbert compared to this plump, beardy Russian man.

I noticed that the farce that is the relationship of Valeria and the taxi driver diffused the earlier tension I was sensing from Humbert. Perhaps this serves as some diversion—probably to undercut Humbert’s anger and violence.