Mrs. Pratt

Character Analysis

Mrs. Pratt is the headmistress of the Beardsley School for girls. Humbert concludes that she is out of it because she thinks Lolita's eyes are blue and that Gaston is a genius. Her emphasis on the social skills (including dating and sexual proclivities) of her students over intellectual education appalls Humbert. At one point Pratt and Humbert meet to discuss Lolita's discipline problems, at which time she expresses fear about Lolita's sexual development, explaining, "She is still shuttling […] between the anal and genital zones of development" (2.11.8).