A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange is a dystopian novel based on Anthony Burgess’ personal experiences with juvenile delinquency and youth gangs in 1960’s England. Protagonist Alex narrates his Ultra-Violent exploits committed as a teenager, before being betrayed to state authorities by his droogs (lackeys) and becoming the first victim of an experimental reclamation programme known as the ‘Ludovico Technique’. Burgess employs a wide array of literary devices including tone, biblical allusion and imagery to capture our protagonist’s progressive transformation from psychopathy to forced pacifism to adulthood. Though Alex’s initial psychopathy is evident from his Ultra-Violent perpetrations, this characterisation is heightened by the irreverent, matter-of-fact…

A Clockwork Orange, a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess, is a dramatic and eccentric tale of self-discovery, and coming to the understanding of the meaning of life. One of the largest themes presented within the novel, is the necessity of having some kind of commitment in life. According to the narrator, psychopathic delinquent Alex, the majority of the adults within Britain during the events of the novel are almost completely assumed by apathy. They constantly are spoon-fed all of the information…

There will never be a more disturbing or powerful scene other than the one in A Clockwork Orange, directed by Stanley Kubrick (1971) of Alex Delarge as played by Malcolm Mcdowell when he is going to rape Mrs. Alexander while joyously recounting “singing in the rain.” Not even apart of the original screenplay as written by Anthony Burgess, Mcdowell adds a sense of deeper depravity to the situation by singing the tune mad-lib style. This scene finishes with Mr. and Mrs. Alexander tied and up and…

Though primarily known for his novel A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess was accomplished in many literary pursuits. Besides being a novelist he was also a poet, composer, playwright, and a critic. With a literary career that spans over three decades he has published dozens of literary pieces and hundreds of musical composition. Much of the influence for these writings came from his early life and his experiences as a young adult. A Clockwork Orange was the first non-school assigned novel I…

antihero gains begrudged sympathy and an extent of understanding from the reader that separates itself from the concept of the antagonist. Despite belonging to two different literary eras, and being published more than a century apart from one another, Matthew Lewis’ The Monk and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess both present their main characters, Father Ambrosio and Alex DeLarge, to be the…

Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971). Based on the novella of the same name by Anthony Burgess, which explores the realms of dystopian society, the Orwellian, science-fiction film catalogues the life and crimes of antagonist, Alex Delarge. A young, violent, hedonistic, delinquent with an enthusiastic appreciation for music, specifically German composer, Ludwig van Beethoven. Alex’s ‘droogs’, Dim, Georgie and Pete often accompany him on his escapades, delving into what Alex refers to ‘lashings of…

Analysis of Burgess’s childhood confirms the psychoanalytic theory that Alex and his fictional experiences within A Clockwork…

The novel A Clockwork Orange, written by Anthony Burgess, was originally published in 1962. It is a dystopian novel where the future is overrun with violence and crime. The main character, Alex, commits horrible crimes, such as rape and murder, with his group of friends. After breaking into a house, Alex is arrested and undergoes an experiment called Ludovico’s Technique while in jail. He can no longer make bad choices, and feels sick when he thinks about committing a crime. He is vulnerable,…

The ending of any novel is most important for some readers. Endings form a readers' final impression of what they have read, and can quite literally make or break the novel. Critics agree that the ending represents a large area of contention (Biswell, 199). Anthony Burgess, author of A Clockwork Orange, wrote the novel with the intentions of the book divided into three sections with twenty-one chapters, with twenty-one representing an age of adulthood at that particular time. However, the US…

It is inevitable to experience a series of conflicts throughout life. Anthony Burgess portrays different types of conflicts that Alex goes through in the novel “A Clockwork Orange”. Although the book depicts significantly horrific events, every human can relate to the overarching problems that Alex faces. The idea about being a good or bad person frequently arises throughout the novel. As Alex is out with his buddies causing chaos in the town, he starts to contemplate the choice of being…