A Clockwork Orange

A detailed Summary of A Clockwork Orange

Anthony Burgess: The importance of moral freedom for all in A Clockwork Orange

Moral freedom is one of the most if not the most important of any freedoms available for humans. Moral freedom is the ability to either choose to perform good and bad deeds or both. Totalitarian governments take away one's individual choice and thus, suppresses and suffocates thee soul. The setting in A Clockwork Orange, is a general parallax to a totalitarian and oppressive government. Alex the main character is the representative of the common man, and his struggle in this type of government. In the novel, A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess suggests that the importance of moral freedom be stressed even for criminals condemned by society.

"There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim....and we sat in the Korova milkbar making up our rassadooks what do with the evening," this was a typical night of a "nadsat" or teenager. A bunch of hoodlums, going around committing acts of violence and crime, for they have moral freedom; which they choose to do bad. First they assault a young man in an alley, and then they go to this author's house, and vandalize it and rape his wife. But while at this house, they come a

cross a book called A Clockwork Orange, and Alex reads about it: "The attempt to impose upon man, a creature of growth and capable of sweetness, to ooze juicily at the last round the bearded lips of God, to attempt to impose, I say, laws and conditions appropriate to a mechanical creation,"(26) at which he ironically laughs and tears up.

After being released Alex goes back home to Flatblock 18A, where surprisingly his pareents think he has escaped and they now live with a new lodger; Unwanted Alex goes to the "Public Biblio," where he is attacked by an elderly mob of 'vecks" who recognized Alex as the one who ruined all the books on crystallography. The police come and break up the fray, to Alex's surprise he recognizes two of the millicents. One is Billyboy is old nemesis and the other is Dim his old droog. They take him out to the country and beat the life out of him, he cannot defend himself because of the conditioning.

The prison chaplain, again tries to warn him:

The rehabilitation technique used upon Alex is that of responsive conditioning, with the use of drugs and films. This type of conditioning forces Alex to feel sick when confronted with evil sites or thoughts. Also included in this conditioning was the use of classical music, which Alex used to love, and now feels nausea when he hears it. After his fortnight, a two week period at the institution, Alex seems to be "cured," a situation is created where he is to use violence against an aggressive man, but he is unable to because of the conditioning. All the people attending the demonstration see how effective the new technique is, but only the Charlie, chaplain of the Staja sees the lack of moral freedom. He says: "He has no real choice, has he? Self-interest, fear of physical pain, drove him to that grotesque act of self-abasement. Its insincerity was clearly to be seen. He ceases to be a creature capable of moral choice." (145) The attending doctor simply replies: "These are subtleties...We are not concerned with motive, with higher ethics. We are concerned only with cutting down crime." (145)

While in court, Alex promotes his innocence and blames his companions. " Where are the others? Where are my stinking traitorous droogs? One of my cursed grazhny bratties chained me on the glazzies. Get them before the

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1563
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels