Clockwork Orange

A detailed Summary of Clockwork Orange

The choice between good and evil is a decision every man must make throughout his life in order to guide his actions and control his future. This element of choice, no matter what the outcome, displays man's power as an individual. When influences are forced apon the decision making abilities the person will lose their individualistic qualities. In the novel A Clockwork Orange, the author uses symbolism and imagery, the characterization of Alex, and the first person narrative point of view to prove that without the ability to choose between good and evil, Man becomes powerless as an individual.

The symbolism and imagery proves how Alex is growing up and the battle between good and evil is forcing him to vary between the hunter and the hunted5. The first symbol is the seemingly out of place classical music he listens to and loves. It is the only thing in Alex's life that he has a passion for that society can accept. The only other thing he shows a passion for is his violence which society can not accept. This music represents his ability to make decisions and his own free will. When he is played the films in an attempt to make him fit for society the backround music was classical music that he loved. Because of the treatment h

The decision between good and evil is the power that anyone must have as an individual. The choice of which path to take is dependant on the person and the situation, but the realization that both exist is a power unto itself.

The author illustrates through Alex's violent actions, how they represent his abuse of power through his freedom of choice. The Author illustrates through Alex's violent crimes, his abuse of power and his freedom of choice. Alex consistently chooses evil as a means to display his power over the innocent. While beating and raping a young girl, he states with pride, "So he did the strong-man on the devotchka, who was still creeching away . . . in very horrorshow groodies"(22). This proves that he feels he must display his power through his abuse of choice. His love for violence symbolises his abuse of power as an evil trait, however his love for music symbolises his humanistic side. It is not until the end of the book, in the twenty first chaper that was added after the first publishing, did Alex finally decide to grow up. During this rapid evolution from adolescence to manhood, Alex chooses a wife, a family, a life, and in essence he chooses a life of morality for the first time in the story. "There was your humble narrator . . . I knew what was happening, O my brothers. I was growing up"(147). Also in this qoute we see that alex no longer uses his street slang that he used so often as a child. His departure from the street slang shows he is aging and maturing. At this point in Alex's life he realizes that he may choose the good side of life and still maintain a strong element of choice. He now develops a stronger sence of self because he now has a broader selection to choose from. He sees that the abuse of the choice between good and evil is not what makes man powerful, but instead, the realization that the choice is the power within Man.

Using the characterization of Alex, Anthony Burgess effectively illustrates how the element of choice is linked to the power within man. The author uses violence to represent the abuse of power when the right of free will is controlled. Alex believes that his decisio

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Approximate Word count = 1448
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels