Lolita: Alliteration 1 key example

Humbert writes the narrative from prison, where he is incarcerated while awaiting trial for the murder of the playwright Clare Quilty. In prison, his thoughts turn to Lolita, his step-daughter, whom he abducted and sexually assaulted for several years. He describes her in a quick succession of metaphors as the “light” of his life, the “fire” of his “loins,” his “sin,” and his “soul.” These various metaphors reflect his ongoing fixation with Lolita, whom he regards as both the love of his life and the cause of his downfall. His language here simultaneously invokes religion and eroticism, suggesting that he worships Lolita but nevertheless recognizes the “sin” of his attraction to the young girl. 

Here, as elsewhere in the novel, Humbert also demonstrates a careful attention to language, befitting his background as a professor of literature. He uses alliteration in the first sentence, repeating words that, like “Lolita,” begin with the /l/ sound, such as “light,” “life,” and “loins.” Later, he again uses alliteration by repeating the /t/ sound (which also appears consonantly in "Lolita"), saying, “the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth.” His combined use of alliteration and consonance here reflects his deep fixation with the nickname “Lolita,” which he alone uses for the girl.