Clockwork Orange Free Will Essay

741 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay a clockwork orange

Free will or Clockwork Orange?
Alex values free will more than anything in the world. When reading Clockwork Orange you immediately throw Alex into the deranged category. We label individuals because human beings see things as black and white. The world depicts whether someone is innocent or a criminal, good or bad, and insane or sane. The same way Alex views the world as free will or a Clockwork Orange. A Clockwork Orange meaning Alex turns robotic and can no longer find pleasure in evil. Alex is on a carrousel ride going from free will to clockwork orange to gaining free will again.
In Alex’s mind, it is acceptable to be violent and dangerous. He says, “That self is made by old Bog or God is his great pride and radosty” (Burgess, 44). Alex believes God has created him with free will and the government, judges, and schools are trying to limit his freedom. “The government and the judges and the schools cannot allow the bad because they cannot allow the self” (Burgess, 45). An individual’s response is shaped by their family, morals, culture, and age. In this case, Alex responds to this as if the government is setting a limit on his hobby of killing, rapping, and torturing people. From a readers response, based on the time period we are in, the government …show more content…

As Alex asked, “you’re willing for me to move back in again and things be like they were before?” (Burgess, 194). His parents said “please, son” (Burgess, 19). This part of the novel stood out because they could have pretended Alex fell off the face of the earth and no longer claim him as their son. There is a deeper meaning in the relationship portrayed between Alex and his parents. No matter the faults or mistakes people make human nature drives us to forgive and forget. Humans want to accept people for who they are whether good or bad. Even if we use defense mechanisms to focus more on the good than the

Show More
Related

  • A Clockwork Orange

    1694 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...erson of increasingly reputable morals.  Now Alex wants to break away from the group and adopts more the philosophy that “Madness is rare in individuals—but in groups, parties, nations, and ages it is the rule”  (Neitzsche 90).

    Read More

  • The Literary Merit of Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange and Exploring Reasons Why it Was Banned

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    to read. A Clockwork Orange is an interesting book, to say the least, about a young teenager, named Alex, who has lost his way, so to speak, and commits several serious crimes. These crimes that Alex and his “droogs” commit include: murdering, raping, beat downs, robbery, etc.

    Read More

  • Government Control and Free Will in "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess

    658 Words  | 2 Pages

    A Clockwork Orange, a novel written by Anthony Burgess in the 1960’s takes place in dystopian future in London, England. The novel is about a fifteen year old nadsat (teenager) named Alex who along with his droogs (friends) commit violent acts of crime and opts to be bad over good. In time, Alex finds himself to be in an experiment by the government, making him unable to choose between good and evil, thus losing his ability of free will, and being a mere clockwork orange. A “clockwork orange” is a metaphor for Alex being controlled by the government, which makes him artificial because he is unable to make the decision of good verses evil for himself and is a subject to what others believe is right. In A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess utilizes contrast, symbolism, and the first person narrative point of view to illustrate and enhance the theme of free will, because a person who lack’s the ability to choose between good and evil, is not really a human being. Therefore, for the duration of Part One, Alex possesses the ability of free will yet decides to be evil by committing violent ...

    Read More

  • Unincorporated Man And A Clockwork Orange Analysis

    1490 Words  | 3 Pages

    The two works suggest that freedom of choice needs to be taken away for the greater good of society. In A Clockwork Orange, social safety and security are the driving forces behind removing freedom from the people, especially Alex, the main character. The start of the movie depicts the struggle of a violent youth that exercises free will in an oppressive but safe and stable society. Alex and his gang, termed droogs, symbolize free will as they attempt to liberate themselves from all government limitations. They indulge in vices shunned by the society such as rape and murder, and bring out the dark side of free will by expressing themselves against a society that encourages safety. Alex’s violent nature makes him a threat and in an attempt to impose order, the government forces Alex to be “transformed out of all recognition” (A Clockwork Orange, Kubrick). T...

    Read More

  • How Does A Clockwork Orange Relate To Sociology

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    And a Clockwork universe is comparing the universe as a mechanical clock, it’s a perfect contraption, but every aspect of it is science controlling it. So, I asked questions after each paragraph about Alex. With Alex being a deviant criminal in the beginning due to his environment which wasn’t his fault for being the way he was to being put through “treatment” that cured him to be a perfect citizen, he still wasn’t fully “cured”. Once Alex was put into the real world he became the perfect victim, and he was put through horrific acts just like he used to do to his victims and tried to commit suicide. With jumping out a window Alex’s new conditioning isn’t a thing anymore, he doesn’t get ill when subjected to violence and is able to listen to his favorite song by Beethoven without getting sick also. Once Alex figures out that he doesn’t get violently ill when subjected to these things government officials apologize to him and compensate him for their fault. The camera pans out and Alex just smirks at the camera, so will he learn from this experience and learn new ways to cope with violence or was it all a waste and goes back to his

    Read More

  • Free Will Essay

    1187 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout time people have tried to prove and disprove God, all part of free will. Free will allows people to believe based on faith but can allow people to demand proof. It also allows people to decide who they are, their identity. It’s what gives people the opportunity to build relationships with people. Some relationships can cause problems with God including going against what He tells people not to do, and betraying family. Lastly, it shapes civilization to one day become a great city or it fall and be destroyed. God gave people the free will to worship Him freely instead of being forced, but being able to choose a path to follow can lead to destruction.

    Read More

  • Free Will Essay

    1395 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his book Free Will, Sam Harris not only states that, “Our wills are simply not of our own making” but additionally if it where declared as fact by the scientific community it “would precipitate a culture war far more belligerent than the one that has been waged on the subject of evolution.” (Ch.1) Harris’ contention is surprising as he himself states, “…most people find these conclusions abhorrent” (Ch.1) but does it really matter whether we actually have free will or not? I maintain that the existence of actual free will is superfluous. Most of us agree that we, at the very least, experience an illusion of freedom and therefore, for the good of our civilization, we must continue to live under this assumption precisely to avoid the result Harris describes.

    Read More

  • Birthmarked, Caragh O Brien: An Analysis

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    To summarize, the government

    Read More

  • Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick

    640 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alex’s dad, in the novel, ran away from his marriage with Alex’s 3rd Grade teacher. He was perhaps disappointed with Alex’s mom. Alex’s mom, as a result, was mad at his dad. Her frustration was justifiable but after completing the novel it became clear that the couple’s frustrations and disappointments were immediate and did not last for ever.

    Read More

  • The Theme of Self-awareness in Frankenstein, Flowers for Algernon, and A Clockwork Orange

    568 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin, Alex is one out of the four characters that reveals self-awareness broadly. Alex begins by stating, “What’s it going to be then, eh” (Burgess 1). The use of this quote explains to the reader that Alex is not only self-aware of himself, but he is careless, and he is an outlaw. Another quote that Alex states throughout the novel is, “O my brothers” (Burgess 5). “O my brothers” reve...

    Read More

  • Free Will Essay

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    The modern field of cognitive science combines research from fields such as computer science, psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience in order to study the processes of the mind. Using a framework of representational structures and operational procedures, cognitive science has been able to make significant contributions to the study of cognition and information processing. This interdisciplinary approach has been so successful that its application has been extended to areas like metaphysics, which was once considered to be outside the realm of empirical study; theorists hope that cognitive science may provide insight into questions related to the fundamental nature of existence, such as the debate between free will and determinism.

    Read More

  • Triumph of Free Will in Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange

    2649 Words  | 6 Pages

    Amidst a population composed of perfectly conditioned automatons, is a picture of a society that is slowly rotting from within. Alex, the Faustian protagonist of A Clockwork Orange, and a sadistic and depraved gang leader, preys on the weak and the innocent. Although perhaps misguided, his conscientiousness of his evil nature indicates his capacity to understand morality and deny its practice. When society attempts to force goodness upon Alex, he becomes the victim. Through his innovative style, manifested by both the use of original language and satirical structure, British author Anthony Burgess presents in his novella A Clockwork Orange, the moral triumph of free will within the controlling hands of a totalitarian society.

    Read More

  • Social Issues In The Clockwork Orange

    1365 Words  | 3 Pages

    Free-will is a major part in the actions of this book. “The free will compels him to murder and rape, but also foster his esteem.” (LifeCharts). The opportunity to do as Alex wishes is what makes him to the crimes. It fuels him and in a way allows him to find himself. Alex is all about choices and he chooses to do the crime but also chooses to turn his life around. “Alex realizes that he benefits from living a normal life staying under the radar and it out-weighs the consequences of being a

    Read More

  • alexclo Psychological Analysis of Alex in Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    A Psychological Analysis of Alex in A Clockwork Orange & nbsp;       In A Clockwork Orange, Alex is portrayed as two different people living within the same body of mind. As a mischievous child raping the world, he was as seen as filth. His actions and blatant disrespect towards society are categorized under that of the common street bum. However, when he is away from his evening attire. he is that of suave.

    Read More

  • Freedom of Choice in A Clockwork Orange

    1228 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this novel Alex shows his freedom of choice between good and evil, which is that, his superiority over the innocent and the weak. In the beginning of the novel he chooses to be evil, he shows us that by committing violence act like stealing, raping, and also murdering an innocent person which he got arrested for and put into prison for about 12 years. The amount violence he commits shows his abuse of power and his decisions toward evil. The violent acts that are described in this novel are very graphical and are intended to shock the reader but they also show that the suppression of others is wrong, because it is destructive to the natural rights of humans. Alex consistently chooses evil and violence to show his freedom of choice, ?Now I was ready for a bit of twenty-to-one . . . then I cracked this veck" pg 7. Alex beats, rapes, and robs the weak and ...

    Read More

More about Clockwork Orange Free Will Essay

Open Document