A Clockwork Orange Ultra-Violence Analysis

The use of violence within literature typically causes much dispute and controversy, and critics often accuse authors of romanticizing such atrocities, and Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange was not spared of any criticism that often claimed that his work further desensitized an entire generation from the brutality of violence. This infamous novel takes place in a bleak, totalitarian society, and the protagonist Alex often spends his nights committing ‘ultra-violence’ with his droogs, and is eventually arrested for murder, and forced to deal with constant dehumanization by the State, as a result of his aversion therapy through the Ludovico Technique. This classical conditioning was an act of violence that the government attempted to use to

Burgess’s use of Nadsat within the novel was to build a rapport between the reader and Alex, and garner sympathy for his inhumane actions and further torment. Because the reader struggles at first to understand the ‘ultra-violence’ within the the novel, Alex is seen as a victim of the government’s attempt to dehumanize him, but Dr. Branom also implies that this use of informal slang is in actuality the State’s attempt at subliminal propaganda to subdue the youth (Burgess 114). Mass media is also a prevalent method used to systematically suppress the masses, which is evidently shown when Alex reads the newspaper about ‘Modern Youth’ and how the lack of strong parental figures and how the inadequacy of art within people’s life often leads to violence. The State’s overbearing supremacy is seen as they consistently put their relentless need for power before humanity’s need for free will. In order for society to progress as a whole, a sudden outburst of violence is fundamental to the growth of the community. Even though the “ultra-violence” committed by Alex and his group of droogs is only done to appease the protagonist’s sociopathic tendencies,

The government is not the only one who takes advantage of Alex’s condition, which is visible through F.Alexander and his colleagues’ treatment of him. F. Alexander is portrayed as an anarchist (whom Alex attacked and caused his paralysis and also killed and raped his wife) who is intent on overthrowing the current regime, in hopes of creating a new political change, to help people ‘like’ Alex. F. Alexander clearly does not care about Alex, rather he wishes to use his affliction to represent the Minister as a malevolent public figure that does not express any concern about the prosperity of the citizens. But this is extremely ironic, as F. Alexander forces Alex to attempt to commit suicide by inducing severe pain through his negative association with classical music, which was used as the musical score to the horrific, gory films he was forced to watch. F. Alexander claims that he wants to help people who lack autonomy, to further their position within the societal hierarchy, yet he attempts to cause Alex’s demise to further his political agenda, which further adds to the arduousness of differentiating between good and bad. The prison chaplain also plays a decisive role strongly advocating against the use of the Ludovico Technique, claiming