Anthony Burgess once said, “We can destroy what we have written, but we cannot unwrite it”(Goodreads). In what is regarded as Anthony Burgess’ magnum opus, A Clockwork Orange was written in only three weeks for the purpose of making money; little did Burgess know the effect his novel would have on society. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess is a dystopian type novel set in a futuristic English society. Throughout the novel, Alex, the main character undergoes a series of adventures and violent exploits, alongside his “droogs”(Burgess 3). Anthony Burgess in A Clockwork Orange explores the importance of free will, the psychology of thought, and the dynamic role of power amongst the characters.
Burgess in A Clockwork Orange portrays Alex …show more content…
Alex and his gang go to F. Alexander’s home where they attack and rape his wife. This scene is important because when Alex reads the excerpt from F. Alexander’s novel A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, “-The attempt to impose upon man, a creature of growth and capable of sweetness, to ooze juicily at the last round the bearded lips of God, to attempt to impose, I say, laws and conditions appropriate to a mechanical creation, against this I raise my swordpen –” Alex is essentially describing his own voice of reason for the novel he is narrating (Burgess 25). Alex’s villainy is made most noticeable when he receives a visit from P.R. Deltoid the morning after his encounter with F. Alexander. P.R. Deltoid is Alex’s Post-Corrective Advisor who brings about the question most everyone in the novel contemplates; why is Alex decidedly bad? Alex’s argument for his behavior is explained when he ponders on the thought, “ …this biting of the toe-nails over what is the cause of badness is what turns me into a fine laughing [boy]…they don’t go into what is the cause of goodness, so why the other shop?” (Burgess 44). Here Burgess suggests that Alex considers the choice to be bad is equivalent to the choice to be good. Burgess writes, “…Badness is of the self… and that self is made by old Bog or God and his great pride and …show more content…
Alex’s passion for his free will and self-determination give A Clockwork Orange a new trait most characters do not posses; however, Alex’s passion is also the root for his violence and mischief. In part two chapter three of A Clockwork Orange, Alex meets with the prison chaplain who goes more into depth about a human’s ability to choose goodness. The Prison Chaplain states, “It may be horrible to be good,” but implies “does God want goodness or the choice of goodness?” (Burgess 106).
In A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess creates a barrier of power between the State and individual liberties of citizens. The State tries to use brainwashing in an attempt to gain total power over citizens that they do not see fit for their idea of society. The State calls their technique the “Ludovico Technique” (Burgess 93). Alex is a fifteen-year old juvenile who is one of the first patients to take part in the government’s
Burgess in A Clockwork Orange portrays Alex …show more content…
Alex and his gang go to F. Alexander’s home where they attack and rape his wife. This scene is important because when Alex reads the excerpt from F. Alexander’s novel A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, “-The attempt to impose upon man, a creature of growth and capable of sweetness, to ooze juicily at the last round the bearded lips of God, to attempt to impose, I say, laws and conditions appropriate to a mechanical creation, against this I raise my swordpen –” Alex is essentially describing his own voice of reason for the novel he is narrating (Burgess 25). Alex’s villainy is made most noticeable when he receives a visit from P.R. Deltoid the morning after his encounter with F. Alexander. P.R. Deltoid is Alex’s Post-Corrective Advisor who brings about the question most everyone in the novel contemplates; why is Alex decidedly bad? Alex’s argument for his behavior is explained when he ponders on the thought, “ …this biting of the toe-nails over what is the cause of badness is what turns me into a fine laughing [boy]…they don’t go into what is the cause of goodness, so why the other shop?” (Burgess 44). Here Burgess suggests that Alex considers the choice to be bad is equivalent to the choice to be good. Burgess writes, “…Badness is of the self… and that self is made by old Bog or God and his great pride and …show more content…
Alex’s passion for his free will and self-determination give A Clockwork Orange a new trait most characters do not posses; however, Alex’s passion is also the root for his violence and mischief. In part two chapter three of A Clockwork Orange, Alex meets with the prison chaplain who goes more into depth about a human’s ability to choose goodness. The Prison Chaplain states, “It may be horrible to be good,” but implies “does God want goodness or the choice of goodness?” (Burgess 106).
In A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess creates a barrier of power between the State and individual liberties of citizens. The State tries to use brainwashing in an attempt to gain total power over citizens that they do not see fit for their idea of society. The State calls their technique the “Ludovico Technique” (Burgess 93). Alex is a fifteen-year old juvenile who is one of the first patients to take part in the government’s