• Asma Alameroo

  Author

In the decades following the decline of New Criticism as the dominant node of critical practice in the United States, new ways of reading have emerged and have, in some cases, led to interesting new readings of classic texts. The influence of culture of both text and readers has become an important topic of discussions about literature. As a Saudi Arabian woman, I read Lolita according to my cultural view, which is affected by my religion (Islam). In Islam, a sexual relationship between a father-in-law and a daughter is forbidden and is called incest. Incest should be punished, and there is a specific punishment for both the man and woman who commit incest.
With this background, my reading reflects differently than that of a western secular reader. From the point of view of a Saudi woman who follows Islam, the novel teaches various important lessons. In the novel, Humbert is the father; he is an adult man who must control his sexual desires. Meanwhile, Lolita’s clothes are not modest but are lewd. Even though she is only 12 years old, she should care about her clothing and her behavior. Her careless behavior leads her to have sex with two men who are older than her (one of them is her father). On the other hand, Humbert is the father, and he should behave as a father and protect her, not rape her. He should teach her about how, when, and with whom she can have sex. As a result, both Humbert and Lolita are guilty. However, Humbert regrets having sex with Lolita, whereas Lolita starts another relationship with Clare Quilty. She gets pregnant, which shows she does not realize the severity of her carelessness. The outcome of the novel is the death of the two men and Lolita. Lolita taught me the significance of explaining sexual issues and their results to our children, so they can deal with rape correctly if they face it.

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