The dialogue is a remarkable instance of the way in which Nabokov is able to dovetail the tragic and comic modes (more of this in 2.). As Nabokov noted in his biography of Nikolay Gogol, "there is only a sibilant's difference between the ...". It also highlights Pnin's essential loneliness: in spite of his endeavours to "reform" (see the Tooth Operation), and become American, the cultural breach that separates him from Joan makes it difficult for them to connect at a deeper level, especially in such critical moments.

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