What Is The Connection Between The Lovely Bones And Lolita

Accurately depicting psychological issues for characters is a common challenge in literary arts. Two authors aimed to tackle the cause, affects and physical manifestation of psychological damage in the renowned novels Lolita (written by Vladimir Nabokov) and The Lovely Bones (written by Alice Sebold). Although monumentally different in many aspects, the novels share a connection of many key themes, such as the Male Fantasy, Perversity, Obsession, Art, and Sex, American culture and Exile and Childhood Innocence. Arguably the main link between the two is the way each follows the story of men scarred by childhood trauma, and in consequence steal the innocence of a young girl. But can one argue that it is only the consequence of their troubled
The Lovely Bones is written through the eyes of Susie Salmon, George Harvey’s young victim, who is learning about and observing the world from heaven. Therefore we never directly learn solid fact of Mr. Harvey’s past, motive or thoughts. Our knowledge as a reader is completely subjective to Susie’s interpretation. Sebold’s choice to depict the novel through the victim’s eye beautifully displays a perspective not often seen or discussed in popular culture, as the topics touched on in the novel are very sensitive and taboo. Sebold’s choice of narrator is also a direct contrast to Nabokov’s novel, Lolita. “He would begin to dream dreams of his mother the last time he had seen her, running through a field on the side of the road. She had been dressed in white”… “His father had watched the road “”She’s gone now, son,”” he said. “”She won’t be coming back.””. The reader learns from this display of events that George Harvey’s parents withheld a highly unstable relationship. Although unclear exactly how old GH was during this turn of events, it is inevitable that witnessing his mother being “forced” from the family car and left alone on the streets in