On Humbert's Self-division In Lolita From The Perspective Of Ontological Insecurity

Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, famous for its bold and creative theme and various artistic techniques, has sprung up to the top of the world literature since its publication in 1955. There have been a large amount of researches on the work, which to some extent has reached an agreement concerning the theme of Humbert's self-division. To gain some new valuable insight into Humbert's self-division, the thesis is intended to reexamine his eccentric behavior and psychology from the perspective of R.D.Laing's Existential Psychology.The thesis has five chapters in total. The first chapter is an introduction to the contemporary researches on Lolita at home and abroad as well as the motive and structure of the thesis. Chapter two is a brief survey of R.D.Laing's Existential Psychology, especially his Ontoloigcal Insecurity, which develops from the following aspects: engulfment, implosion, petrification and depersonalization, providing an efficient way to interpret Humbert's various eccentric behaviors and psychology. The process and embodiment of Humbert's self-division will be displayed in details in chapter three.Chapter four explores the reasons for Humbert's self-division from the three aspects of Ontoligical Insecurity: engulfment, implosion, petrification and depersonalization.Firstly, the complicated background and alienation forged his unstable identity and autonomy. Thus, he often lost himself in the anxiety of being engulfed and dominated by others, and finally, failed to establish a normal relationship with the reality. In the association with persons like Valeria, Charlotte and Lolita, he was habituated to ignoring or engulfing their identities to ensure his. However, those actions would make his sense of identity and autonomy feebler, for maintaining one's identity and autonomy needs other's presence and recognition.Secondly, the only thing Humbert pursued in his life was an imaginary and unrealistic nymphet. He always evaded the reality and dwelled on his inner emptiness. Contacting with Lolita destroyed the perfect image he imagined step by step. For him, the reality must be implosive, or it would threaten anything he imagined. He was in a dilemma. On the one hand, he hoped that his emptiness would be filled; on the other hand, he feared to do so. Therefore, he preferred to indulge himself in his imaginations which could guarantee him temporary security at least. However, it would make his situation worse, for keeping a natural relationship with the world is a fundamental way to help an individual get rid of anxiety.Lastly, it is widely used by people to depersonalize others partially in daily life when they become too tiresome or something like this, which, however, was exerted by Humbert to an extreme. Owing to his fear for being petrified, he habituated himself to protecting his identity, autonomy and aliveness by obliterating others' or depersonalizing others. In his eyes, except Lolita, people around him were either lifeless plants or boring animals. Although he couldn't ignore Lolita's aliveness, he destroyed her physically and spiritually. This extreme way would only lead to his deviation from his original will further and further, for each denial of others' existential status would decrease his own sense of ontological security.From the analysis above, it is obvious that R.D.Laing's Ontological Insecurity can be used to put forward a thorough and convincing interpretation of Humbert's eccentric and complex character, revealing that Humbert's abnormal psychology and behavior represent the common and permanent existential dilemma of human being. Besides, based on the research of human being's subjectivity and devoted to exploring the unfathomable spiritual world and changeable human behaviors, R.D.Laing's Existential Psychology also can give some enlightenment to the contemporary literary criticism.