A Clockwork Orange : Chosen Evil Vs. Forced Morality

A Clockwork Orange : Chosen Evil vs. Forced Morality

What becomes of a man stripped of his free will? Does he continue to be a man, or does he cease? These are questions that Anthony Burgess tries to answer. Written in the middle of Burgess’ writing career, A Clockwork Orange was a reflection of a youth subculture of violence and terrorization that was beginning to emerge in the early 1960s. The novel follows Alex, a young hoodlum who is arrested for his violent acts towards the citizens of London. While incarcerated, Alex undergoes a technique in which his free will towards acts of a barbaric - or even harmless - nature is taken from him, then is forced to face the world once more as a machine-like creature. In A Clockwork Orange, Burgess explores the controversial idea of whether it is better to be forced into morality, or choose evil as a life path.

Like most of Burgess’ other novels, A Clockwork Orange explores the conflicts between good and evil, the spirit and the flesh (Galens). The novel- a satire detailing the violent exploits of a futuristic gang - was published in 1962, and is narrated in Nadsat - a language pasted together from Russian and American slang - by fifteen year old Alex.

The original American edition of A Clockwork Orange came out without the last chapter. In the Americanized version, there were only twenty chapters, as opposed to the twenty-one - a number that signifies adulthood. This chapter was cut out due to the fact that the publisher thought it was too sentimental (Galens).

Though Burgess says that A Clockwork Orange is neither his best nor his favorite book, the novel established Burgess’ international reputation. Stanley Kubrick contributed to his international fame, with a 1971 film adaptation of the novel. The film won Burgess numerous new readers. The film also secured the A Clockwork Orange as the most controversial novel in English literature (Galens).

Before and after A Clockwork Orange was published, Burgess wrote steadily, publishing eleven novels between 1960 and 1964. He edited and published many more works, including novels, screen plays, autobiographies, critical studies, and an opera. None ever achieved the notoriety that A Clockwork Orange received (Galens).

Predicted on the present, Burgess’ novel is a horrific version of the future. The inspiration of the scene between the writer, F. Alexander, and Alex and his “droogs,” or companions, was inspired by an actual event in Burgess’ past. In 1943, AWOL American soldiers attacked and raped Burgess’ pregnant wife, causing her to lose the child. Though his wife died two decades later, Burgess attributed her alcoholism and death on the incident (Galens).

The theme of free will is continuously woven through A Clockwork Orange, even by actions or words that seem simple. The repetition of Alex’s phrase, “What’s it going to be then, eh?” underscores the theme of individual choice (Galens). In the novel, Burgess asks readers what it means to be human. He implies that to fully understand humanity, an individual must accept their evil nature, and society’s attempt to stifle it (Galens).

“Alex chooses evil because it is in his nature to do so. His impulse towards good is artificial, because it comes from outside him, instilled by a government bent on controlling the populace by controlling their desires.” (Galens.) Burgess believed that although people are wicked from birth, they are also born with the ability to choose for themselves. This ability is the one that makes human beings just that - human (Galens). While in prison, Alex is not rehabilitated; he is reshaped and brainwashed by the Minister of the Interior into an individual with no freedom of choice.

In A Clockwork Orange, F. Alexander - who is one of the “mouthpieces” for the idea that it is wrong to deprive a man of free will (Galens)- states, “They have turned you into something other than a human being. You have no power of choice any longer. You are committed to socially acceptable acts, a little machine capable of only good” (Burgess). F. Alexander believes that the government has handled Alex in a way that is immoral and wrong.

Even the title of the novel is a reference to the theme of free will. A Clockwork Orange comes from the Cockney saying “as queer as a clockwork orange,” meaning that people can appear natural, but be artificial on the inside (Galens).

Power is also an evident theme in A Clockwork Orange. As shown through the Minister of the Interior, the state attempts to control Alex through regulation and brute force. By using Ludovico’s Technique to eliminate the evil inside of Alex, the government also rids Alex of “the very thing that constitutes humanity:” Alex’s freedom, and his ability to make his own decisions (Galens). “Alex