Moral Development in A Clockwork Orange
What is the author’s purpose for writing a novel? To make a point? To make money? The case for Anthony Burgess’s novel, A Clockwork Orange is much larger: to lend insight into human nature, most specifically, moral development. Burgess stacks the entirety of this concept in a single chapter, the controversial twenty-first, using it to transform the entire meaning of the novel. When first published in 1961, the American edition of A Clockwork Orange omits this critical part, making it more to the likes of an allegory or fable rather than a novel. Burgess was understandably very displeased with his American publisher, and expresses his indignation in his revised 1983 introduction, stating that there is “not much point in writing a novel unless you can show the possibility of moral transformation” (Burgess xii). When a work fails to show change (as the American first edition does) it merely portrays the human character as cold, rigid, unregenerable, not at all what Burgess intended. But would this be such an inaccurate portrayal of humanity? Yes. As circumstances change, so make people. Why? Free will. Free will is what allows one to choose between good and evil, and as circumstances change so do the choices, and with each decision, a step further into one's moral development, for the better or for the worse. Though in Alex’s case he is stripped of his ability to choose under the Ludovico technique. Without his free will, any chance of moral development is, in turn, essentially impossible. But Alex did have free will at the start of the novel, so what major factors were at play in his halted moral development? The influence of his surrounding family structures (or the lack thereof) are to blame. Family structures can serve as both catalysts and hindrances for interpersonal development, unfortunately the latter is true for Alex (at least for the first twenty chapters). By looking into the circumstances for Alex’s moral predicament, one will find that true moral principles are best developed of one’s own accord, by being exposed to positive influences.
What is the cause of Alex’s behavior? Is it his double-crossing “droogs?” His ignorant, unconcerned parents? Conversely, it
Alex was interested in the history of wars but he is not realizing war is very harming and the impacts it has on people. Alex has a very arrogant and opinionated personality because he does not think beyond; for example, he only cared about the strategies but he is not going beyond of what people had to go through and their emotions. He only cared about his thoughts and opinions and does not care what other people had to say. This also proves that he thought his dad was immature when he said, “Sometimes I wonder if my father will ever grow up” (Bell 1). When Alex and his father Ted came off the plane, Alex had to handle the boarding
Also, identify his inner goal. What inner conflict does Alex have that he has to resolve. It’s not clear. What is clear is that there’s some conflict with his father. Identifying his external goal, as well as his inner objective will help make Alex a well-rounded, dimensional
Both novels express the theme of oppression in two different ways. ‘A Clockwork Orange’ reveals a very broken world in which chaos is rampant in the streets and gang fights are normality; yet in’1984’ the people are controlled by intense order. Burgess believed that “the freedom to choose is the big human attribute”. Burgess believed that having the capability to choose between good and evil defines us as human beings. This provides Burgess’ main focus of the novel and provides the debate to whether the treatment of Alex is a suitable way to deal with those who are truly evil?
Through literature, many authors have attempted to represent the societies in which they live and what they think society may become in the future if things continue to be looked over such as political corruption. This is clear in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’. Fitzgerald tries to encapsulate the corruption that lay beneath the extravagance of society in the roaring twenties. In contrast, Burgess’s novel, ‘A Clockwork Orange’, depicts a futuristic society in which the novelist fears about mankind’s capacity for corruption are explored.
In the book to To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a young girl is being put through a variety of challenges that have set her up to learn about aspects of life. Scout, the young girl is being put through situations throughout the book, and is going through different moral developments that have been set up into three levels by Kohlberg, a psychologist. Kohlberg gathered this information by giving people of different ages, different questions that would identify their moral stage (“Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development”). For example, some of the questions would be; if you were trapped in a room full of innocent people and someone dying would be the only way to save everyone else in the room would you risk yourself? On that
A Clockwork Orange, a novel written by Anthony Burgess in the 1960’s takes place in dystopian future in London, England. The novel is about a fifteen year old nadsat (teenager) named Alex who along with his droogs (friends) commit violent acts of crime and opts to be bad over good. In time, Alex finds himself to be in an experiment by the government, making him unable to choose between good and evil, thus losing his ability of free will, and being a mere clockwork orange. A “clockwork orange” is a metaphor for Alex being controlled by the government, which makes him artificial because he is unable to make the decision of good verses evil for himself and is a subject to what others believe is right. In A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
Anthony Burgess has been heralded as one of the greatest literary geniuses of the twentieth century. Although Burgess has over thirty works of published literature, his most famous is A Clockwork Orange. Burgess’s novel is a futuristic look at a Totalitarian government. The main character, Alex, is an "ultra-violent" thief who has no problem using force against innocent citizens to get what he wants. The beginning of the story takes us through a night in the life of Alex and his Droogs, and details their adventures that occupy their time throughout the night. At fifteen years old, Alex is set up by his Droogs—Pete,
Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, a critically acclaimed masterstroke on the horrors of conditioning, is unfairly attacked for apparently gratuitous violence while it merely uses brutality, as well as linguistics and a contentious dénouement, as a vehicle for deeper themes.
“A Clockwork Orange” deals with the narrator of the book, Alex, and his “droogs” (friends) who perform acts of the so called “ultra-violence.” With the betrayal of his friends, Alex gets caught and is send to prison where he gets conditioned with the Ludivico Technique. Throughout the entire novel literature qualities are a prominent feature. By exploring the themes, motifs and symbols the book can easily be regarded as a literature piece. Firstly let’s start out with the themes in the novel. “Order in Society vs. Freedom of Choice,” the freedom of an individual to make a choice becomes problematic when that choice starts to weaken the safety and stability of society, and in A Clockwork Orange, the government is willing to safeguard society by taking away the liberty of choice and substituting it with prescribed good behaviour. In Alex’s world both the unrestricted power of the individual and the unrestricted power of the state demonstrate danger. Alex steals, rapes, and kills only because it feels decent,
In A Clockwork Orange this was a very complex piece of literature narrated by a boy named Alex. In the span of his adolescent life we learn of a very tragic time in Alex's life. Compared to the movie the book even though foul and vuglar, made me less uncomfortable than the movie. One difference this is a huge difference in A Clockwork Orange when Alex is in prison for about two years now he finds out that Georgie was killed because of a heist that turned south. Now, in the film Alex after being reformed and released into the world. He ends up getting beaten up by a group of homeless old men lead by the first guy Alex and his had beaten up. The police are called and Alex seems to recognize them, its Dim and Georgie his ex friends. Now that's a huge difference a character killed off now has a second chance at life. Another difference is what occurs after. Now after an unpleasant reunion between friends or should I say ex friends. Alex is beaten up and soaking wet he seeks help and ends up getting help from an unlikely ally. The man who helps Alex is unfortunately another victim of what Alex and his friends did for fun. They had beat up the husband who is a writer; they raped the wife while he was focused to watch and now confined to a wheelchair. Now fast forward, while Alex is taking a bath to warm up he's singing the sake song that one of the intruders we're singing while this terrible tragedy took place. Now in this example these, are subtle but,
With the help of Alex’s perspective, the film also criticises the choices society makes. Going back to Nietzsche’s views on morality, it is worth noting that he condemns the Judeo-Christian morality as too strict and unhealthy. However, using that philosophy A Clockwork Orange again shows the opposite as the society and law system’s ethics are very much radical and they believe that the only way they could eradicate the crime and chaos in society is to take people’s right of choice. In their criminology analysis of A Clockwork Orange Lichtenberg, Lune and McManimon (2004) sum up the main issue concerned in the film with the statemen confirmed by the prison chaplain that: If there is no choice, there is no morality. Therefore, Kubrick’s film focuses on some important questions and problems that are shown as issues of a dystopian society but are also truly problems present in contemporary society as well such as: could the spectator blame the establishment for being cruel and immoral if they are trying their hardest to eradicate relentless crime or is taking someone’s free will and right to choose an inhuman thing to do overall? The title of the film ties in with Alex’s journey and character development as he is transformed and programmed as a machine not able to
A Clockwork Orange demonstrates the philosophically issues of free will and determinism through how the main character was treated in the movie. It also addresses important issues such as ethics, philosophy of the mind, free will and determinism, and the problem of perception. Philosophers such as John Hospers, B.F. Skinner, and Jean-Paul Sartre have different views on the issue through their theories of how individuals are or are not responsible for the free will choices that they make in life. The main character in the movie was a very violent , and reckless person. He participated in sinful acts such as being a gang member, raping women, being involved in fights, etc. These actions resulted in him being sent to prison and eventually being brainwashed into doing things out of his character. The three philosophers have very different interpretations of how the main character should have been dealt with and the reasonings behind his actions.
Previous research suggests that Alex DeLarge, a fictional character created by Anthony Burgess, was the epitome of evil. However, previous research has not considered the environmental, socio-economical, and physiological dispositions that molded him into the person he became. Hence, in this paper, it is argued that Alex DeLarge is at a greater risk for Antisocial Personality Disorder than most members of the general population. This is important because it allows us to view beyond the theatrics and the metaphors into a character that is mentally unstable not a villainous caricature in the eyes of the audience.
A Clockwork Orange -Duality as the ultimate reality Harriet McLean “Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man.” Anthony Burgess’ disturbing yet confrontational novel “A Clockwork Orange” entices it’s audience, demanding them to question strong controversial social issues comprising of the right of free will, the fundamental need for commitment in human life regarding the consequences of apathy and neutrality and the corruption and manipulation of the government. This twisted but simply marvelous dystopian novel creates a conflicting debate within yourself between morality and the connections you form with these sadistic characters. Regardless of the controversial themes present in this dark comedy, I am undoubtedly certain that “A Clockwork Orange” demands to be read by a diverse audience and unquestionably deserves to be regarded as one of the 100 greatest novels written.
In the novel A Clockwork Orange, the author Anthony Burgess tells a story about a young man name Alex and his friends, every night they go around and start committing violent acts. In the novel Alex expresses his freedom of choice between good and evil. The freedom of choice is a decision that every person must make throughout his life in order to guide his actions and to take control of his own future. This Freedom of Choice, no matter what the outcome is, displays person power as an individual, and any efforts to control or influence this choice between good and evil will take way the person free will and enslave him. In this novel the author uses this symbolism through imagery. He shows that through the character of