Very few modern or even classical novels present a psychological tale like that presented in Anthony Burgess's magnum opus and controversial novel, A Clockwork Orange. The novel follows the protagonist and narrator, Alex, who is not a given a surname until the film adaptation. Alex, while the protagonist of the novel, is a violent person up to the second to last chapter of the novel. However, the underlying psychology behind every one of Alex's actions rings true and presents a compelling argument about the nature of free will, violence, and what makes a man human. First published in 1962 (McNamee), follows fifteen year old Alex. The novel starts with Alex recounting a typical night of "ultraviolence" that he and his "droogs" participate in. The night includes drinking, drugs, and violence of the worst kind including rape. Eventually this lifestyle catches up to him, and Alex is arrested (Burgess 67). He is offered the opportunity to participate in an experimental procedure that it is believed will cure him of his violent behavior and his sentence is reduced (82). When he is released, Alex realizes that the treatment has rendered him effectively unable to make his own decisions about whether to do the right or the wrong thing as well as sucking pleasure out of every day things he used to enjoy such as music and art (156). Alex finds himself at the mercy of a man he had crossed in the past (167) and attempts to commit suicide (169). In the original British edition of the book, the final chapter reveals that after waking up in the hospital, Alex's went on to finally grow up and settle down, however in the first published version to reach America this final 21st chapter was left out so that the novel ended with the failing of the conditioning and Alex returning to his old ways (Jarvis). A document was recovered from 1961, a year before A Clockwork Orange was first
Violence and death surrounds everyone, from movies to books to news. These subjects are particularly prevalent in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. Kesey's main goal for writing the novel was to show his readers the atrocities within mental health wards. However, he managed to have a greater impact in young adults' lives than ever imagined. Although there are instances of death and violence in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, it should be included in high school curriculum because exposure to these topics helps teenagers to properly deal with similar situations in their own lives.
Society often pressures individuals within it to conform to different ideals and norms. This stems from the fact that individuals in a society are expected to act in a certain way. If a person or group of people do not satisfy society’s expectations, they are looked down upon by others. This can lead to individuals isolating themselves from others, or being isolated from others, because they are considered as outcasts. The emotional turmoil that can result from this, as well as the internal conflict of whether or not to conform, can transform an individual into a completely different person. This transformation can either be beneficial or harmful to the individual as well as those around them. The individual can become an improved version of himself or herself but conversely, they can become violent, rebellious and destructive. The novels Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess both explore the negative effects experienced by individuals living within the confines of society’s narrow-mindedness. In A Clockwork Orange, protagonist Alex was the leader of a small group of teenage criminals. He did not have a healthy relationship with either one of his parents or with others around him. Instead he spent most of his time alone during the day and at night roamed the streets in search of victims he could mug or rape. In Fight Club the unnamed protagonist was an outcast in his community. He chose to distance and isolate himself from others and as a result had no friends, with the exception of Tyler Durden and Marla Singer. Due to his isolation, he often participated in nightly fights that took place in Fight Club so that he could relieve his anxiety and stress. In this way, Alex and the unnamed protagoni...
Some people cut off heads as a way of protesting, and some perform neurosurgery. Whatever it may be, if one acts in a way of which they believe is right, they have free will. Having free will is notably crucial for public altercations such as being attacked, having an argument, or in a serious situation. In A Clockwork Orange Alex has a life contaminated with evil; his free will causes him to act in violent behavior.
A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess’s novel portrays a vision of the futurist England, with his “humble narrator” Alex and his “Droogs” spending their nights getting intoxicated at the Korova Milk bar before embarking on irrational and reckless nights, consequently leading to major complications throughout the novel. The novel has been known for its exceptionally distinguished plot and setting. The most prominent use of literary throughout the novel was the use of the unique language setting Nadast and the numerous themes and symbols presented throughout the text. The use of these literary techniques attracts and engages its readership.
Anthony Burgess integrates many social issues today between the Government and People into Clockwork Orange. Many of the issues that Alex faces along with the government are relatable in today’s society. Within the story Anthony Burgess teaches us how people act and how the government works in a more brutal way, The Clockwork Orange expresses this through free-will, maturity and karma, and treatment of people.
Linking the fundamental conflict between individual identity and societal identity with musical imagery in Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange creates a lens through which one can recognize the tendency that violence has to destroy an individual’s identity. Although Alex clearly associates violence with his own individual identity and sense of self, he consistently reveals the impossibility of remaining an individual in the face of group-oriented violence. Images drawn from the realm of music parallel the destruction of Alex’s identity, either through conformity to a group’s style of violence or through failure to embrace the homogeneity of group actions associated with violence. As Alex’s narrative progresses, musical imagery follows the decline and re-emergence of his personal identity as a function of his involvement in violence. Musical references underscore the power of violence to negate individual identity in favor of group identity, thereby illuminating the destructive effect that violence as on the human personality.
The grace of evil in A Clockwork Orange is a recurring paradox throughout the novel and also implies a deep religious connotation. The main foci are the several aspects of evil, violence, and sexual acts committed by Alex and his gang members. However, Anthony Burgess has cleverly incorporated similar paradoxes to that of grace and evil, along with a different dialect to aid in masking the true harshness that lies underneath the violence. The other paradoxes include the extremes of night and day, good and bad, and black and white.
The psychology of Alex would be that of a serial killer. He is a classic
This uninhibited behavior by Alex is what leads to his eventual downfall. While living in a society where Alex was free to take things into his own hands, where he is able to rape, torture, and murder at his own discretion, he was experiencing a lifestyle free of oppression, moral, or immoral. However it is Alex’s over-abuse of his free-will that causes him to be arrested and jailed. While in jail new character traits arise from a “conditioned” (Burgess, 80) Alex. It is evident that the rigorous conditioning and oppression against Alex, sensitized him against violence, thus curbing him towards a moral outlook on life. “But, sir, sirs, I see that it’s wro...
This part of the novel "presents the reader with a new, reformed Alex, an Alex without free will or freedom of choice, an Alex who has become a victim" (Magill's Critical Survey of World Lit. 293). Burgess considers this lack of freedom to be spiritually murderous and terribly wrong. Burgess knows that it is better to choose to be evil, than to be forced to be good. Alex is tormented by his new state of oppression. He is incapable of making any choice; he must always do what is good. Alex is then taken under the wing of a writer who is fighting the oppressive government. The writer greatly publicizes the oppressive rehabilitation the state put Alex through. But Alex is still tormented by his lack of choice, so tormented, that he even attempts suicide.
The choice between good and evil is a decision everyone must make throughout their life in order
I enrolled in this class in semiotics in order to see if the semiotic approach would give me a greater understanding or give meaning to what I do for a living. It seems natural that I would try to employ the method with the problems that vex me the most. I hope that any reader of this text will appreciate the attempt at interpretation of meaning and not focus on the sensationalism or strangeness of the behaviors that I will describe. I must give credit for the idea of looking at the symbolism of self-violence to James Gilligan in his book, "Violence" in which he examines the symbolism of violence towards others (Gilligan , 1996) . This paper is an attempt to bring meaning or understanding to the behaviors of the residents where I am employed, specifically self-inflicted harm or self-injurious behaviors. I will first describe the behaviors, then define them in the theories that I have used for many years, and finally attempt to make meaning from the behaviors through semiotics.
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
In many novels we have read one of the major dystopian qualities we have been presented with is conditioning. The idea of conditioning, based off of a psychology definition, is that you can make a response to a situation more predictable by reinforcement of that response. In A Clockwork Orange Alex is conditioned to have his response to violence be sickness. In A Brave New World people in the society are conditioned with responses for every situation. In 1984 people are conditioned to turn each other in through thoughtcrime. Conditioning gives a government a stronger grip on the actions of its subjects because through conditioning you can remove any trait the government finds dangerous.
The setting in this controversial novel is a futuristic society in which violence is acceptable, the youth induce fear into people, and where the government is not acting as it should. “Indeed, despite its reputation, the core of the book is actually a rather earnest religious debate on the fate of the soul in post-war modernity”(luckhurst). In the society where violence dominates everything Alex pays his dues with free will. Free will is the choice that humans have to either be good or evil. Although Burgess expresses the idea that man can not be completely