Holden’s very protective of children, of their innocence, their freedom and happiness, while Humbert is a selfish man who manipulates little girls, abuses them and destroys them emotionally. I realized how different they are, while being exceptionally well written, and wondered what would happen if they ever got to know each other personally. What would Holden do when he found out about Humbert’s impulses and actions? I’m curious what you guys may think about this.
by Ok-Understanding8568
5 Comments
Why don’t you write that story and find out?
What if both of them met Voldemort?
Holden was abused by his teacher and has a lot of trouble facing it. So even in ordinary life, he has difficulty being effective, even without this kind of trigger that would hit him at his core. I think that if he faced Hubert, he’d likely go into denial or some other form of protective behaviour/thinking, and possibly become aggressive towards something or someone unrelated.
Humbert would do his utmost to ingratiate himself with the family, just biding his time for a few years until Phoebe is a bit older. Holden is at first taken with & taken in by someone who really understands him but gradually comes to see the game Humbert’s playing and then, his ultimate intent which he foils by planting landmines along the rye field’s borders after, of course, the kids are safely in it. Actually, that sounds like one of those books or ones of those 1950s sci-fi movies that are ridiculous and boring at the same time.
I don’t think they’d ever maintain a conversation.