Putting the “Dog” in Dogma
Unlike Humbert, Day curbs his sexual urges in regard to his charge, and does not touch her sexually. Day believes that his wife should be pure and virginal, to the point where his charge, believing that she is training to become an apprentice, is so surprised to learn of his ultimate intentions for her on her eighteenth birthday that she spoils his plans and ultimately does not marry him. Despite the mounds of criticism that Day has been receiving in the book reviews, his actions do not come across as half as evil as those of Nabokov’s Humbert Humbert. True, Day’s desire to turn a powerless female into a daughter-wife is abnormal, as we would label this relationship. However, Day’s actions do not seem as horrifying as those of Humbert. This may be due to Day’s convoluted relationship with his charge being based on the traditional deployment of alliance. Although Day is wrong to subject his charge to his whims in his quest to mold her into his ideal of the perfect wife, the age disparity is negligible between Day and Sabrina compared to that of Humbert and Dolores. The nine years between Day and his orphan girl Sabrina is less like that of a father and daughter (unlike middle-aged Humbert and pre-teen Dolores), and more like that of a cultured and knowledgeable brother who is taking charge of his sister’s education. Day clearly takes this responsibility too far when he forces Sabrina to undergo extreme body conditioning drills; however, Sabrina’s life under Day’s tutelage is probably better than what she would have been subjected to if she had remained in the orphanage.
It is also important to note the purpose behind the men’s rearing of their child- wives. For Day, the goal is to develop a wife who is pleasing to him. Theoretically, this may be done in a way that is pleasing to both parties, as is illustrated in the 1958 film Gigi. Sabrina is shocked to learn of Day’s true intentions, and is permitted the freedom to reject his proposal of marriage. Humbert’s aim on the other hand, is lecherous with no intention of marrying Dolores and providing for her future happiness in a respectable manner. His actions are criminal, as he repeatedly rapes his orphaned step- daughter who rejects and mocks his overtures. Dolores only attains happiness when she manages to flee from her abusive step- father, and to establish a traditional family life of her own.
Neither of these living arrangements is considered “normal,” yet despite his abuse of power, Day’s relationship appears less unsettling than that of the fictional Humbert. As Peiss notes, “there are gradations in these matters from one to the other extreme” (373). There is one factor that the Day intrigue has ingrained clearly on the public mind: the need to thoroughly investigate those homes into which city officials place dependent children.
-Ariella Medows
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Tags: Daughter-wife, Lolita, Normal
