A Brief Analysis of Lolita from the Perspective of Gaze Theory: Intersections of Power and Gender

Lolita, a novel that has been controversial since its publication, depicts the seduction and obsession of a middle-aged man with a young girl. Many people criticize the novel for containing patriarchal ideas, and numerous researchers have studied it from various perspectives, such as feminist perspective, psychoanalytic perspective, and postmodernist perspective. However, most of the researches tend to unfold from a macro perspective, and fewer of them analyze in depth from specific perspectives. Therefore, this thesis intends to study Lolita from the perspective of Gaze Theory.By analyzing how Humbert gazes at Lolita and the hidden power relationship behind this gaze, this thesis points out that Humbert’s gaze is not just a gaze on Lolita’s body, but a manifestation of power, and that it reveals the unequal power relationship between him and Lolita.