Eyes on Both Ends of the "Exile Spectrum"

After reading Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov I realized that there is a strong theme of exile flowing through the novel. Two of the main characters, Humbert and Lolita are exiles but what sets them apart from eachother is the fact that one of the character's exile is voluntary, while the other is involuntary. This is where Nabokov allows the reader to examine both ends of the "Exile Spectrum". Humbert chooses his exile willingly when he leaves Europe, and journeys to America. Lolita on the other hand is forced into exile when Charlotte dies, leaving her behind with Humbert. They are alienated from the societies which they are familiar, and they find themselves in ambiguious moral territory where the old rules do not tend to apply. Humbert and Lolita are so disconnected from odinary society that they can acknowledge how immoral their actions become, Humbert can see the claws he sprouted, and Lolita maintains the role of a silent lamb. Tqwards the end, both Humbert and Lolita experience the ultimate blow from exile's thunderous fist, Lolita held by Dick Schiller, and Humbert held by the iron cage in prison. Exile in this novel is final, there is no way out, no mobility. Here we see the both ends of the spectrum, but when it all boils down, for these characters Exile is not a bed of roses, but a harsh and brutal way of life.