1.

Features of an Unreliable Narrator

Unreliable narrator is a trait of modernist literature (McHale, 1987: 18), but represents a
prominent tool for postmodern deconstruction of relationship between reality and fiction, history
and tet, eamination of human character as well as metafictional aspects of literature and how
they fi!ure into postmodern world and literature" #t is not unusual then that the term unreliable
narrator was first introduced in 19$%s" &ccordin! to 'ooth, a narrator can be considered
unreliable if he (does not spea) for or acts in accordance with the norms of the wor)* (+unnin!,
,%%-: 89)" .hat means that opinions, /iews and actions of the narrator differ from those of the
author and his intended purpose" +arrator (brea)s free* from his author and tries to tell the story
from his standpoint, tryin! to au!ment author0s intended reality in such a way that suits him and
his !oals" Unreliable narration is usually persistent throu!h the entire narrati/e, hence it is rarely
easy to distin!uish reliable from unreliable narrator" #nconsistency is obser/able only by
comparin! narrators presentation and the rest of the narrati/e: narrator we usually try to hide or
embellish these subtle telltales 1 in Humbert0s case by usin! humor, charm and pity"
&ccordin! to 2immon34eenan, there are three sources of narrati/e unreliability:
1" 5imited 4nowled!e of the narrator 1 such are the situations where the narrator is too
youn! or a narrator of a lower le/el of intelli!ence6
," +arrators personal in/ol/ement 1 if they are in/ol/ed in the story or with the characters
they portray them in a more sub7ecti/e way6
8" +arrator0s 9uestionable morals 1 if the narrator0s moral and ethical stance differs from
that of the author, they are usually considered 9uestionable (:asmuth, ,%%9: ,)"
;lson (throu!h adaptation of wor)s of &ns!ar +unnin!) came up with a list of the most common
features of unreliable narration:
the narrator0s eplicit contradictions in the narrati/e discourse,
discrepancies between the narrator0s statements and actions6
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di/er!ences between the narrator0s description of himself and other characters descriptions
of him6
contradictions between the narrator0s eplicit comments on other characters and his
implicit characteri<ation of himself or the narrator0s in/oluntary eposure of himself6
contradictions between the narrator0s account of e/ents and her eplanations and
interpretations of the same, as well as contradictions between the story and discourse6
other characters0 correcti/e /erbal remar)s or body si!nals6
multi3perspecti/e arran!ements of e/ents and contrasts between /arious /ersions of the
same e/ents6
an accumulation of remar)s relatin! to the self as well as lin!uistic si!nals denotin!
epressi/eness and sub7ecti/ity6
an accumulation of direct addresses to the reader and conscious attempts to direct the
reader0s sympathy6
=yntactic si!nals denotin! the narrator0s hi!h le/el of emotional in/ol/ement, includin!
eclamations, ellipses, repetitions6
>plicit, self3referential, meta narrati/e discussions of the narrator0s belie/ability6
&n admitted lac) of reliability, memory !aps, and comments on co!niti/e limitations6
& confessed or situation3related pre7udice6
?ara tetual si!nals such as titles, subtitles, and prefaces (;lson, ,%%8: 97398)"
#f obser/ed throu!h these features, Humbert Humbert is more than a prominent eample of an
unreliable narrator, and +abo)o/0s !reatest contribution to modern and postmodern literature"
2. Humbert Humbert as an Unreliable Narrator
Humbert0s unreliability as a narrator stems from different aspects of the no/el, some of which are
predominant throu!h the entire no/el" His mental health, sub7ecti/ity, awareness of eistin!
readers that he is narratin! to, are all elements create a manipulati/e and seducti/e, albeit
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aesthetically /ery !rippin! narrati/e" Humbert0s main concern isn0t really to tell story as is, but to
tell the story as he wants it to be tolled, whether it be real or not"
&ccordin! to @ome<, +abo)o/0s no/els tend to create their own personal reality throu!h
ima!ination, thus they do not want to tell a real story, but to create their indi/idual reality
throu!h their own point of /iew6 that is, there are two reality, one that the narratorAprota!onist
li/es in, and the one that he actually narratin! (@ome<, 199-)" #n order to obser/e this disparity
of realities, narrator unintentionally allows other characters to ha/e a small /oice, an opinion that
is not in accordance to that of the narrator, and that is why we can at certain points hear 5olita0s
thou!hts about Humbert and his deeds:
I was a daisy fresh girl, and look what youve done to me. I ought to call the
police and tell them you raped me. Oh, you dirty, dirty old man. (+abo)o/,
Lolita)
1
Humbert is fully aware of the relationship between reality and his story: he is writin! his story
throu!h memories, and he reali<es that ima!ination has its role in that:
When I try to analyze my own cravings, motives, actions and so forth, I surrender
to a sort of retrospective imagination which feeds the analytic faculty with
boundless alternatives and which causes each visualized route to fork and re-fork
without end in the maddeningly comple prospect of my past. (+abo)o/, Lolita)
Humbert0s ima!ination and creation of his own story 1 reality 1 can best be obser/ed throu!h his
relationship to 5olita" He does not see her as a real !irl, but he ob7ectifies her as a manifestation
of his own lust" =he is not a simple, innocent, defenseless !irl, but a nymphet, seductress"
.hrou!h doin! this, he tries to reduce shoc) /alue of his actions and tries to 7ustify himself: it is
he who is seduced, entrapped and helpless:
!ow I wish to introduce the following idea. "etween the age limits of nine and
fourteen there occur maidens who, to certain bewitched travelers, twice or many
times older than they, reveal their true nature which is not human, but nymphic
#that is, demoniac$% and these chosen creatures I propose to designate as
&nymphets. (+abo)o/, Lolita)
1
Buotes are ta)en from an e3pub boo) format"
,
.hat is why he escapes seein! her as (real*, because in that case he would be eposed for
a monster that he really is" Howe/er, he is more than aware that he0s doin! somethin!
wron!, which he clumsily re/eals in certain moments when he ob/iously wants to 7ustify
his actions:
I felt proud of myself. I had stolen the honey of a spasm without impairing the
morals of a minor. 'bsolutely no harm done. (+abo)o/, Lolita)
;ne of the important aspects to be considered while analy<in! Humbert0s narrati/e is that of his
mental state" Crom the start, it is ob/ious that he is a /ery disturbed man, confirmed by him
throu!hout the no/el by his testimonials about his mental brea)downs and common cases of
bein! institutionali<ed for his problems" #f that wasn0t enou!h, the no/el itself starts with the
forward by a fictional dr Dohn 2ay Dr, who ac)nowled!es moral ambi!uity in Humbert0s writin!
and attitude, albeit ac)nowled!in! his literary prowess:
I have no intention to glorify ().).* !o doubt, he is horrible, he is ab+ect, he is a
shining eample of moral leprosy, a miture of ferocity and +ocularity that betrays
supreme misery perhaps, but is not conducive to attractiveness. )e is
ponderously capricious. ,any of his casual opinions on the people and scenery of
this country are ludicrous. ' desperate honesty that throbs through his confession
does not absolve him from sins of diabolical cunning. )e is abnormal. )e is not a
gentleman. "ut how magically his singing violin can con+ure up a tendresse, a
compassion for Lolita that makes us entranced with the book while abhorring its
author- (+abo)o/, Lolita)
Crom the start, reader is warned that he should not trust Humbert, his seducti/e charismatic
/oice, beauty of lan!ua!e aesthetics and his hypnotizing eyes (+abo)o/, Lolita)"
&ccordin! to :asmuth, his fallibility of memory is an etension and a manifestation of his
mental instability" He uses this state as an ecuse to rearran!e e/ents in such a way that best
ser/e his intended narrati/e messa!e (:asmuth, ,%%9: -)" Humbert, althou!h not confessin! it
directly, hints at the possibility that his story mi!ht not be as truthful as his supposed sincerity
would lead us to belie/e:
8
.this then is my story. I have reread it. it has bits of marrow sticking to it, and
blood, and beautiful bright-green flies. at this or that twist of it i feel my slippery
self eluding me, gliding into deeper and darker waters than i care to probe.
(+abo)o/, Lolita)
:asmuth ar!ues that: (Ethis slipperiness can be interpreted as a decision by the narrator
consciously to present the facts of the story in a pre/aricati/e way" #t is pointin! to an
unwillin!ness to re/eal the more !enuine /ersion of himself that can be found in the deeper and
dar)er waters* (:asmuth, ,%%9: -)" .his can also showcase his o/eremphasis of his mental
problems in order to achie/e sympathy, which is further established throu!h analy<in! his
tendency to lie and manipulate"
+et aspect of Humbert0s unreliability as a narrator can be seen in his self confessed s)ill with
lyin!" :e can obser/e this throu!h his relationship with other characters" He is creatin! his own
reality that is separate from that of his en/ironment" He creates his own ima!e of his personality,
by au!mentin! perception of other characters in the no/el, throu!h use of his fantastic charm and
wits" .his is manifested throu!h the way he married Folores0 mother, how he handled her death
in relation to the people from his en/ironment, how he mana!ed to create new life for him and
Folores, etc" .his really has to be a telltale si!n for the reader that if he is this masterful in
manipulatin! perception of people in his en/ironment, he is more than capable to tric) an
unsuspected reader into !rowin! sympathy towards him as a tra!ic hero" :hat really !i/es
insi!ht into Humbert0s disturbin! nature is his en7oyment in creatin! scenarios of deceit" He finds
it a dauntin! tas), a challen!e, almost li)e a !ame of how much he can !et away with in his lyin!
ways:
I owe my complete restoration to a discovery I made while being treated at that
particular very epensive sanatorium. I discovered there was an endless source of
robust en+oyment in trifling with psychiatrists/ cunningly leading them on% never
letting them see that you know all the tricks of the trade% inventing for them
elaborate dreams, pure classics in style #which make them, the dream-
etortionists, dream and wake up shrieking$% teasing them with fake 0primal
scenes0% and never allowing them the slightest glimpse of one&s real seual
predicament.0 (+abo)o/, Lolita)
G
Humbert Humbert has a /ery special relationship with his reader, and this is where his
unreliability really amplifies" +abo)o/Hs no/els are usually writ ten in the form of manuscripts
which narrate se/eral e/ents in an anterior temporal se9uence (@ome<, 199-)" =ince Lolita is a
tet written by Humbert himself, he is fully aware of the reader0s eistence and he is absolutely
ready to eploit this )nowled!e by usin! his charm, humor and lan!ua!e s)ills to try and seduce
reader into belie/in! a part of his reality, by trustin! him"
Humbert constantly encoura!e reader to closely eamine certain thou!hts and actions, and tries
to brin! him closer into the narrati/e itself, thus closer to himself6 he wants to !ain readers trust
because the success of his story depends on his ability to persuade the reader that he is a sincere,
tra!ic antihero" 'y !i/in! reader his attention and affection, he aims at e/o)in! an emotional
response:
I need you, the reader, to imagine us, for we don&t really eist if you don&t.
111
. I want my learned readers to participate in the scene I am about to replay% I
want them to eamine its every detail and see for themselves howcareful, how
chaste, the whole winesweet event is. (+abo)o/, Lolita)
.he second 9uote is from a scene that describes Humbert pleasin! himself while sittin! net to
5olita and where he tries to, in a way, 7ustify himself" He shows so much confidence in his
description of the scene that he ur!es reader to pay close attention to his description" .his once
a!ain eemplifies his tendency to 7ust see how much he can !et away with in his narration and
use of charm and lan!ua!e acumen to !et reaction that he wants"
He addresses the reader with many flattery remar)s (learned and obser/ant), because this is how
he percei/es himself and how he wants to be percei/ed by the reader, thus !i/in! the reader the
same trait in order to manufacture a bond between them"
&nother way in which he addresses the reader is as the 7ury, and this is probably the most
important in his communication to the reader, because this represents the issue of Humbert0s
!uilt, which is the main moral theme of the no/el, specifically Humbert0s attempt to a/oid
responsibility for his actions throu!h !i/in! his own tellin! of the e/ents (Dan!blad Du)ic, ,%18:
-
18)" #n his confessions, especially towards the end of the no/el, he clearly shows that he is at
least in some scope aware of his misdeeds, 7et does not stop him from tryin! to 7ustify himself,
therefore the reader is his 7ury, which would ser/e to the purpose of Humbert0s narrati/e: he
wanted one last try to con/ince others, and trou!h that his mad self, that he was seduced, that he
was ri!ht, that he was the /ictim of his lo/e:
2ou may +eer at me and threaten to clear the court, but until I am gagged
and half-throttled, I will shout my poor truth. I insist the world know how much I
loved my Lolita, this Lolita, pale and polluted, and big with anothers child, but
still grey-eyed, still sooty-lashed, still auburn and almond, still 3armencita, still
mine. (+abo)o/, Lolita)
Howe/er, throu!h the ambi!uity and contradictions in this 9uote it can be concluded that
he is still tryin! to manipulate the reader to belie/e him and side with him" He is, at the
same time, both confessin! his !uilt and 7ustifyin! his actions buy claims of his lo/e for
5olita, thus tryin! to confuse the reader, but his disturbin! actions can ne/er be fully
accepted, and his confession can be obser/ed as a transparent attempt at deception in
order to !et the reader0s pity and sympathy (Dan!blad Du)ic, ,%18: 1-)"
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5. Works Cited
1" @ome<, &"'" (199-)" 2eflei/e +arrati/e in 5olita, by Iladimir +abo)o/" MiscelJnea: &
Dournal of >n!lish and &merican =tudies" Iol"1$"
," Dan!blad Du)ic, &" (,%18)" 3an )umbert be 4rusted with the 4elling of )is 4ale5 '
6econstructive 7tudy of "inary Oppositions in 8ladimir !abokovs Lolita" Halmstad
Uni/ersity: =chool of Humanities"
8" McHale, 'rian (1987)" 9ostmodernist :iction. 2outle!e: +ew Kor)"
G" +abo)o/, I" Lolita. >3pub edition"
-" +unnin!, &"C" (,%%-)" 2econceptuali<in! Unreliable +arration: =ynthesi<in! Lo!niti/e
and 2hetorical &pproaches" #n: ' 3ompanion to !arrative 4heory" >ds" ?helan, D",
2abino/it<, ?"D" 8931%7"
$" ;lson, @" (,%%8)" Unreliability: Callible and Untrustworthy +arrators" !arrative, Iol"11,
+o"1" 9831%9"
1" :asmuth, D" (,%%9)" ;nreliable !arration in 8ladimir !abokov<s Lolita" 5und
Uni/ersity: Lentre for 5an!ua!es and 5iterature"
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