My first book for the reading project was “A clockwork orange” by Anthony Burgees. The book revolves around a young teenaged boy Alex, who often commits in really violent crime with his group of friends. The book is set in a dystopian setting in an English society which has Russian influencing. During the book Alex the protagonist goes under the “Ludovico technique”, which turns him into a good person, but against his own will. This is one of the most important events in the book which portrays the most prevalent theme which is the importance of free will. Anthony Burgees expresses this idea through his use of neologisms and other language devices.
One of the devices Anthony Burgees uses in a clockwork orange is modification of language, by using English and Russian slang that he calls “Nadsat”. The youth only talk this way but it is not all slang, there is a variety of sophisticated language in there like Shakespearean English. However, there are childish words and rhythmic slang an example is “Appy polly loggy” meaning apology. The neologisms “Nadsat” is not understood by adults in the book. This shows the emotional and mental differences between the two generations. The youth who use the language are usually taking part in the “ultra violence” as the protagonist Alex likes to refer to it. “Nadsat” has rebellious connotations, and it presents the youth as very immature. Anthony Burgees also uses language to reflect Alex’s personality. Towards the end of the book Alex discovers that all this hatred he has had and the need for violence was just a part of his life and others. Alex starts talking differently, using the present tense and using less of “Nadsat”. It is a very clever technique as it shows the audience the transformation that is occurring in Alex’s life, and that he is no longer the immature violent teenager he used to be.
One idea which is explored through a clockwork orange is free will. Alex is a teenager that is a nuisance to the government and it would be better if he was turned into good. In the book they do eventually turn Alex into a good character, but by using the Ludovico technique. However, Alex would still prefer to choose the bad option but due to the technique Alex is forced into doing what the government believe is the right thing. The importance of free will is displayed by Alex asking himself “Whats it going to be then, eh?” every time before he is about to do something bad. Alex has the choice to do something good or bad by asking himself this question. Alex chooses the bad option of course. However, when Alex is put under the Ludovico technique he does not ask himself the question. It had took Alex’s free will away from him as he never questions his actions. Furthermore, this connotes that Alex is not really human anymore, as the principal of humanity, free will has been taken away from him. As the name a clockwork orange suggests. A machine capable of goodness but does not have any moral choice. The government took away all of his evil capacity, but it also meant that took away his free will. In the last chapter of the book after Alex is cured, he asks himself “Whats it going to be then, eh” and answers the question. Alex chooses a path of good, and proves that free will is essential, as eventually he does become good. During the time Alex is in prison a man asks him “Does God want good, or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses bad somehow better than a man who has good imposed on him?”. This suggests that the choice of goodness is more important that having the idea of good forced upon you, and that a man who chooses a bad path is almost the same as the man who has goodness forced upon him.
The idea of an anti-hero is a protagonist in a story line who may have good morale intentions, but does evil things or does not necessarily think the actions he or she does are evil. Also they may have physical defects and would be cast away from society or isolated in society. Alex suits the idea of an anti-hero as he commits extremely violent crimes which would be regarded by society as pure evil. At a point in the story he has goodness forced upon him, yet this still does not make him a stereotypical hero. It is towards the end of the book when Alex realised his evil was just a phase of his life, and that he was an immature man and did not need to do these things anymore for his pleasure. Also through out his teenage phase, his immaturity is shown through his language and a lot of the adults do not understand the language which shows the emotional differences. It is almost as if their group is isolated in society and they are thought of differently, as an inferior group of people.
React!