The Picture of an Anti-hero in A Clockwork Orange

Mariana Valdés Flores
A01376836

The Picture of an Anti-hero in A Clockwork Orange

I agree at 100% with this essay.

After reading this essay I noticed some things that I haven’t noticed before, for example that A Clockwork Orange is a reflection of Burgess’ life (nadsat which is invented to separate Young people from the old one is a mix between English because he is British and Russian because he went to Leningrad, also when Alex killed the lady of the cats represent that his wife died in the same year) and the reality of the world in that moment.

Although we have a feeling that the story takes place in England we can’t know for sure because the author invented the places that are mentioned. The only historical references that Burgess gives us are that it is after the Second Word War after the 60’s. The street, his house and the Korova bar can be related to Alex’s freedom because he could decide what to do in these places, but when he went to jail it represented that his freedom has ended and he has to make responsible of his actions and accept the consequences.

Also we can relate music and violence with freedom. When he was in his room and in prision, he could decide when to listen to music and what music to listen, but when he went to the place where he would “become a good human being” music and violence was used against him with the Ludovico’s Treatment.

The author explained that the characters of A Clockwork Orange are divided into “good” and “bad” which is pathetic because everyone is good and bad in their own way. The reason why Alex was submitted to the Ludovico’s treatment was because society in the book thought that Alex was the bad guy but actually the politicians and doctors were acting the same. The only way to make Alex change his mind was to be patient so he can mature and become a responsible person (this is the reason why at the end of the book he is bored of violence), not submitted him to the Ludovico’s Treatment (which is name like that because they used Ludwig van Beethoven’s music to torture Alex) which is like doing the same as Alex. This posture belong to the Chaplain which is actually Burgess’ way of thinking, but some readers get confused between the narrator’s opinion and the author’s opinion which also defends free will and not Alex’s way of acting because he thinks that it is a privilege every human being should have although if our actions are good or bad.

By reading all these essays that you made us read I noticed that A Clockwork Orange is an amazing book, and that it is a reflection of our reality, maybe we don’t want to see it or can’t see it but it is there. Violence is there. It’s in front of our faces but we refuse to see it. We live in our little perfect world where rapping, robbery and assassination aren’t a problem for us. Why do we refuse to see it?