Big News in the 50s

Humbert referenced some events that were happening in America during the 1950s throughout the story. Here are some of the stories or stories that apply to the novel Lolita.
Flu Causing Schools to Close (1947)
On page 40 in the novel, Humbert refers to a flu outbreak that was so bad that the local schools needed to be closed. This was one of the events that are noted in the book that is actually true. There was a big flu outbreak in 1947 that caused many schools to close until the sickness blew over.  Not all of the references found in Lolita are true events since Humbert has created his own reality in his mind. Readers can’t be sure which details are facts or make-believe until they research them.

Humbert’s suicide (1950s)
The suicide rates for people in the 1950s is very similar to what the rate is for today (2016).  This shows that the suicide of Humbert wouldn’t have been shocking for readers or uncommon for the time.  It’s reasonable that Humbert would be thinking about suicide and even commit it as told in the novel since suicide was fairly common during the 50s. This, however, may have been part of the reason the book was banned since this topic was and still is rather taboo and shocking for people.

Consumerism in the 50s

American consumerism was a consistent theme throughout Lolita. The way Humbert describes Americans is that they are all very greedy and never satisfied with what they have. Humbert feeds into this by buying Lolita things to keep her quiet and happy in exchange for sex. Their “relationship” was more of a business exchange where each party knew what the other wanted and used that against them. Humbert knew that Lolita wanted physical things, so he bought her trinkets so she would oblige to having sex with him all while Lolita knew Humbert only wanted sex, so she had sex with him if he bought her something she wanted. 

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