A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess occurs in a dystopian futuristic Britain and explores the idea of using psychological conditioning to eliminate crime. The protagonist, Alex, a 15-year old in England suffering from antisocial personality disorder; a leader of a gang involved in violence, robbery, and rape. The book has two main themes and divided into three parts; the first part of the book focuses on Alex’s criminal lifestyle, the second focuses on Alex’s rehabilitation in prison, and the third is focused on Alex’s entry back into society.
Alex is a guide on a journey into a dystopian future where the youth commit crime by night and the authorities rival their indifferences to maintain societal status quo. Dystopia is a society characterized by human misery, squalor, oppression, etc., being the opposite of utopia, an ideal place or state. Most dystopian novels are written in the future where things have gone askew; the purpose is to examine current problems in society and predict how they might become a problem in the future. Alex suffers from antisocial personality disorder creating a habit of manipulating, exploiting, and violating the rights of others. This disorder is characterized by acts of charm and wit1 and appeal to flattery enabling one to manipulate another’s feelings. Other qualities consist of breaking the law repeatedly, lying, stealing, starting fights and feeling no remorse or sense of guilt. Alex portrays all the symptoms of this disorder; he is prone to violence and finds enjoyment in inflicting pain on others.
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Future Society (1) Our future society will be based on the principles of Intellectual-Socialism; as such, that incorporates the best aspects of National-Socialism and Libertarian Democracy. The political system of our society can be best referred to as Aristocratic Democracy. Citizens ability to gain social prominence will not correspond to their affiliation with a particular social class, but ...
Alex is also a compulsive liar in many different situations of the book, never showing repentance after committing a crime. He shows disregard for the rights of others and the rules of society thus getting him placed in prison and treatment. Antisocial personality disorder (APD) can sometimes be found in psychopathic criminals and murderers, directly linked to genetics and malfunctions in the body. People suffering from APD have had a history of behavioral problems since childhood; they aren’t just teenage delinquents who have been hanging out with bad influences.2 People with APD differ in their motivations3 and their capacity for empathy, remorse, guilt, anxiety, and loyalty varies. Causes of APD range from abnormalities in the central nervous system, impaired functioning in the frontal lobe, and genetic influences. The causes of antisocial personality disorder reflect an interaction between an individual’s own genetic or biological experiences and susceptibilities. There are two main themes of this book – man’s ability to choose their path in life, good or bad. The second theme goes hand in hand with the first that interest can change, as man grows older.
Throughout the book, the reader bears witness to Alex’s progression through being a crime thirsty criminal to prison and rehabilitation finally breaking his mannerism to be a civilized human being and then regressing back to a criminal in order to survive in society. Conflict begins when Alex and his Droogs committing crimes, such as rape and murder, until his Droogs betray him and is sent to prison. The point of the story when Alex is in prison, undergoing treatment and recovery4, is the most crucial point of the story. However, once Alex tries to commit suicide, Dr. Brodsky performs brain surgery giving Alex his free will back. The choice between good and evil is what separates humans from beasts; in the absence of choice, Alex was a clockwork orange, a mechanically responsive man. The Droogs are Alex’s friends who wander the night as criminals in the first part of the book.
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The lively figures of speech in Herrick's "Delight in Disorder" show his sensual delight in the little things in life. The oxymoron's, animations, images, and paradox in this poem display the author's enjoyment of true uniqueness. The animations in "Delight in Disorder" show how the speaker sees the clothing as having a will of it's own that makes the outfit more "bewitch[ing]" (13). For example, ...
Besides the Droogs, there is F. Alexander whose wife dies at the hands of Alex and his gang. F. Alexander devotes his life to taking out the government responsible for his wife’s death, in the process, becoming a father figure towards Alex trying to make him a civilized human being. Alex is selected to be a candidate for Ludovico’s Technique performed and administered by a behavioral scientist, Dr. Brodsky; Brodsky often mocks Alex’s suffering throughout the technique. Dr. Brodsky assisted by Dr. Branom who believes in science as if it were a religion; Branom also mocks and patronizes Alex throughout the technique. After Alex is released and considered humane, his probation officer, P.R. Deltoid, finds he is not very helpful as Alex’s behaviors are not normal. In part three of the book when Alex has broken his reconditioned self, he becomes part of a new gang with Rick, Len, and Bully, a gang even more violent than the Droogs. Burgess’s use of nadsat, the fictional slang used by youth, in his book creates a new mindset for the reading, directly connecting with Alex.
It can be very confusing to understand but it’s helpful to the reader to connect with Alex’s motives and thought process towards committing crimes; Alex speaks in nadsat less after his reconditioning. Burgess’s novel is a fictional representation of how some disorders can be treated or outgrown over a matter of time. Even though, most psychologists today would not perform a technique like Ludovico’s, the novel proves that treatments can be done on people with disorders to help them break habits. The novel gives me a better understanding of psychology and psychological disorders; they can be broken under circumstances but it’s not always for the best. Also, certain psychological disorders, such as antisocial personality disorders, lead to studies concluding that those with disorders don’t feel the same emotions as those without a disorder.
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Did you know that 90% of women dislike the way they look? And it’s all because of the media and their emphasis on the “ideal” figure of a woman. Supermodels like Kate Moss and other Barbie-doll-figure-inspired women grace the cover of magazines all over the world promoting a “perfect” shape. Girls of all ages think that this is what people want to see. They think that this is what they should look ...
Taken through the journey of Alex’s life as someone suffering from antisocial personality disorder, readers learn qualities and habits associated with the disorder. Alex transforms from a violent criminal to a civilized human being after undergoing Ludovico’s Technique making it hard for him to survive in the harsh society of the dystopian setting. He undergoes surgery to reverse Ludovico’s Technique in order to survive in society, resulting in life as a criminal once again. From these life-changing moments, readers learn that psychological disorders can be cured but often lead to other problems. Psychological disorders are common throughout the world and can be treated to an extent, thus preventing “a clockwork orange” in people.
Works Cited
Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange. New York: Norton, 1986. Print. “Login.” Millennium Web Catalog. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2012. . Wade, Carole, and Carol Tavris. Invitation to Psychology. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. Print.
