The recollection also came back empty, and for the first time in all his life, perhaps, Luzhin asked himself the question – where exactly had it all gone, what had become of his childhood, whither had the veranda floated, whither, rustling through the bushes, had the familiar paths crept away?
In "The Luzhin Defense" by Vladimir Nabokov, the character Luzhin experiences a poignant moment of introspection. For the first time, he reflects on the loss of his childhood and the places that were once familiar to him. This self-questioning leads him to confront the absence of the memories and beloved locations that shaped his early life.
This moment not only highlights Luzhin's sense of nostalgia but also signals a deeper existential crisis. He grapples with the reality of time's passage and the fleeting nature of joy and innocence, symbolized by the disappearing veranda and paths. This evokes a sense of melancholy as he realizes the profound changes in his life and the elusiveness of his past.
