Final Reflections on A Clockwork Orange

As far as my typical reading selection goes, A Clockwork Orange falls somewhat outside of my usual interest in fantasy and science fiction. In tone, violence, and deeper meaning it is fairly heavy - not to mention the difficult language barrier discussed in an earlier post. All of this aside, it was highly enjoyable as well as thought-provoking from beginning to end. It was well paced, never leading me to feel bored or rushed. Its story was a suspenseful and profound one which I was excited to read beginning to end.

Despite being released over 50 years ago, I feel as if it could have been written yesterday. This is partly a testament to Anthony Burgess's timeless writing: by including classical allusions and using an invented dialect, he eliminated much of what traditionally dates literature. However, possibly more important is the continued relevance of the themes and the ideas he reflects upon, which I doubt will ever lose their value.

NOTE: While I'm not going to go out of my way to spoil everything, by nature of this post it is inevitable that some details of the story will be revealed - possibly even of the climax and resolution. That being said, if you intend to reading A Clockwork Orange and have not already, I recommend against reading further, to avoid losing the benefit of experiencing the story firsthand. Consider yourself warned.



Since we've been spending a good amount of time discussing theme in class, I think I'll try to articulate my best interpretation of the theme of A Clockwork Orange, keeping in mind that there are several ideas which Burgess comments on through the course of the story:

While personal freedom and government control are both necessary for the maintenance of order within society, an excess of either naturally limits the other and may ultimately lead to the degradation or collapse of said society.

This theme is explicitly demonstrated through Alex's action before his imprisonment and by the government's through the Ludovico Technique. Along with his droogs, Alex is a criminal who murders, rapes, and vandalizes simply because it feels good. This clearly is detrimental to his victims and even to his society as a whole. However, through his rehabilitation, the government arguably takes things too far through a forced "psychological aversion" against anything violent, sexual, or even musical (as music is passionate which is linked to violence). This sort of mind control is an incredible violation of the most basic human rights to self and choice, eliminating any sense of morality in Alex for the sake of order.