what a shock
...gee, what a surprise.Lolita · 1962 — 第 29 / 30 章 · 3'17" · B2
Humbert Finds the Married Lolita, Explained：old flame
Humbert visits Lolita in her new home, where she is married, pregnant and poor. She is cool with him, warns him that her husband knows nothing, and refuses to say who took her from the hospital — until he forces the name out of her: Clare Quilty.
あらすじ
Humbert finds Lolita living as Mrs. Richard T. Schiller, married to a poor young man and expecting a child. She offers him coffee and asks for money, and he asks instead who took her away from the hospital years ago. She makes him guess — the car, the man at the hotel, the caller at the motel — and finally says the name.
注目の表現
a fine thinglook forplay guessing gameshandout
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このシーンの表現
old flame
a former lover
Humbert brings up an old boyfriend of her mother's, a casual memory with a hidden purpose.
She ran into an old flame at the reunion.
このシーンの他の表現
- a fine thing
a mock compliment
- look for
try to find
- play guessing games
make someone guess
- handout
money given as charity
- there's no point in
it is useless to
このシーンのメモ一覧
64 行のセリフに 27 件のメモ
wow, gosh — American casual for surprise, often faintly sarcastic.
...gee, what a surprise.pardon how I look
You'll have to excuse my appearance, but you've caught me on ironing day.upset or resentful — Casual for resenting something; formal speech prefers upset or offended.
I was beginning to think you were sore or something.would not fault you
I must say I wouldn't blame you if you were.vanish from view
A fine thing, me dropping out of sight for so long...gerund phrase: The me plus -ing phrase names the action and adds a wry comment on it.
A fine thing, me dropping out of sight for so long...Link out and of into ou-ta; keep sight light.
A fine thing, me dropping out of sight for so long...money given as charity
Lolita admits she wrote only to ask for money, calling it a handout to sound shameless and honest.
...and then writing you for a handout.be careful with your words
...so please watch what you say.carried you away from the hospital
Then this isn't the man who took you from the hospital?employed as a waitress
About a year. I met him in Phoenix. I was working as a waitress.try to find
Humbert asks for the identity of the man he has been hunting for years.
Who is the man that I'm looking for?relative clause: The that-clause describes the man, leaving the preposition for at the end, which is normal in speech.
Who is the man that I'm looking for?it is useless to
Asked for the name, Lolita shuts the topic down as pointless and finished.
There's no point in going into that. It's all over.am unable to say
I'm sorry, but I can't tell you.ought never to have written
Criminy! I should never have written to you.oh no, goodness — An old-fashioned, mild exclamation of regret, not a swear word.
Criminy! I should never have written to you.third conditional: Wouldn't have with had not describes an unreal past: the need for money did exist.
You wouldn't have written if you hadn't needed the money.Squeeze wouldn't have into wouldn-a.
You wouldn't have written if you hadn't needed the money.make someone guess
Tired of hints, Humbert refuses the guessing game and demands the name outright.
I didn't come here to play guessing games.let me have a turn
Well, give me a chance to explain.did regularly in the past
You remember that car that used to follow us around?probably will not
I'm not likely to forget that in a hurry.a former lover
Humbert brings up an old boyfriend of her mother's, a casual memory with a hidden purpose.
Do you remember Mother's old flame at the school dance?Drop the t in haven't so the two words run together.
And yet, you still haven't guessed?being manipulative
I told you that I'm not playing games with you.「Humbert Finds the Married Lolita」を読み解く
What's really going on
The scene is a negotiation between two people who once lived as father and daughter and now barely pretend to. Lolita is poor, married, pregnant, and practical: she invited Humbert because he sent money, not because she missed him. "You wouldn't have written if you hadn't needed the money," he says, and she does not deny it. The real subject, though, is the man who took her away. She makes him work for the answer, offering the car, the caller, the stranger at the hotel, until he says he is not there for games: "I didn't come here to play guessing games." Only when the answer is unavoidable does she say the name — Clare Quilty — and Humbert understands that every mysterious figure of the past has been the same man.
Theme
SecretsThe whole visit circles one withheld name, and Lolita guards it until Humbert makes plain that he will not leave without it.
MemoryLolita makes Humbert revisit the car, the hotel and the phone call, showing that the past she wants closed is the one he cannot leave.
このチャプターで学べること
- No point in closes a subject as useless.
- Old flame is a warmer word than ex.
- The third conditional exposes a hidden motive.
- Guessing games names the refusal to speak plainly.
発音のポイント
- out of sight — Link out and of into ou-ta; keep sight light.
- wouldn't have — Squeeze wouldn't have into wouldn-a.
- haven't guessed — Drop the t in haven't so the two words run together.
There's no point in going into that. It's all over.Lolita's refusal to reopen the past, said flatly to Humbert, who has come precisely to make her reopen it.
I'm not likely to forget that in a hurry.Humbert's dry answer about the car that followed them: he remembers everything, which is why he is here asking questions.
You wouldn't have written if you hadn't needed the money.His blunt reading of her letter, which strips away any pretence that the visit is about affection.
So this is what Mrs. Richard T. Schiller looks like.A line that names her new identity out loud — married, ordinary, and far from the girl he remembers.
I didn't come here to play guessing games.Humbert's refusal to keep playing her hints, the moment he demands the name directly instead of following her clues.
このシーンについての質問
Why does Lolita invite Humbert to her home?
She and her husband are poor, and Humbert has sent money. She needs the handout more than she wants the visit, and she tells him the choice is simple.
Why won't Lolita say who took her from the hospital?
She wants the past closed and does not trust what Humbert will do with the name. She only gives it up when he refuses to leave without it.
Who is Clare Quilty?
The man who took Lolita away — and, Humbert now realizes, the same person behind the car, the hotel stranger and the phone call at the motel.
What does Humbert offer Lolita?
Money. He comes with a handout and makes clear that he will give it in exchange for the truth about who took her away.
What does 'old flame' mean when Lolita mentions it?
It means a former lover. She reminds Humbert of her mother's old flame at a school dance, a clue that the man who took her was around even then.
ロリータ · 全 30 章
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次のチャプター · 第 30 章the past is the pastLolita Confesses Her Love for Quilty
第 1 章overcome with powerHumbert's Roman Ping-Pong With Quilty
第 2 章last wordsHumbert Kills Quilty
第 3 章Happily divorcedCharlotte Shows Humbert the House
第 4 章go steadyCharlotte Plays Matchmaker at the Party
第 5 章keep the lights onQuilty Meets Humbert
第 6 章joie de vivreCharlotte and Humbert Dance
第 7 章a dragLolita Sneaks Back for a Sandwich
第 8 章a long faceHumbert Reads Poe to Lolita
第 9 章stroke of geniusCharlotte Sends Lolita to Camp
第 10 章no alternativeCharlotte's Letter Kicks Humbert Out
第 11 章feel insecureA Jealous Wife Questions Humbert
第 12 章sacred and profaneCharlotte Shows Humbert the Gun
第 13 章every game has its rulesCharlotte Confronts Humbert Over Candy
第 14 章a dupeCharlotte Finds Humbert's Diary
第 15 章darkest before the dawnThe Farlows Comfort Humbert
第 16 章bide our timeHumbert Picks Up Lolita
第 17 章tied up in knotsHumbert Checks Into the Hotel
第 18 章a normal guyHumbert Meets the Normal Guy
第 19 章Russian rouletteLolita Wakes Humbert With a Prank
第 20 章cut it outHumbert Tells Lolita Her Mother Died
第 21 章cross your heartLolita Makes Humbert Promise
第 22 章a fine one to talkHumbert Forbids Lolita to Date
第 23 章the facts of lifeThe School Psychologist Visits Humbert
第 24 章have a nerveHumbert Grills Lolita After the Play
第 25 章come betweenHumbert and Lolita's Big Fight
第 26 章a fine pairHumbert and Lolita Are Followed
第 27 章since whenHumbert Visits Lolita in Hospital
第 28 章by any chanceLolita Leaves in Care of Her Uncle
再生中 · 第 29 章old flameHumbert Finds the Married Lolita
第 30 章the past is the pastLolita Confesses Her Love for Quilty第 29 / 30 章 · 残り約 5 分