A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess is one that I've been waiting to read for a long time, and I'm happy I finally got around to it.
Violence. When I first started reading this book, I was shocked by the detail of the violence that Alex and his gang brought onto others. While it was shocking, it wasn't off-putting, and I think that the use of language in the novel helped. The characters had their own sort of language, and while it took a few chapters to get used to, it ultimately left me feeling more set in this dystopian time and place.
The descriptions of the violent crimes was intense, and you as a reader could see how Alex saw it as almost euphoric. The turn where Alex goes to jail and is "cured of his violent tendencies" through the "Ludovico Technique" is really quite interesting. Alex isn't violent anymore, but he has lost one of the things that makes him the happiest (classical music), and wants to kill himself. I see this is a fascinating statement about free will, and what humans choose to do in order to bring themselves happiness.
While Alex is a horribly violent person, he is himself. After the treatment, he isn't himself at all. It leads to this: is being yourself better than being brain-washed? The initial answer would probably be yes, but in Alex's case, the answer isn't so clear. Being conditioned to be good doesn't mean that you are actually good. This is further shown when Alex reverts into his old ways of violence.
Honestly, this work seemed more dystopian dark fiction than anything, and reading it for this class made me try to think of it as a horror, sci fi, or fantasy story. I didn't really see it as any of these, and I don't think it matters. The story is entertaining, captivating, and accomplishes what I think most writers seek to accomplish in their work: a glimpse into the human experience.
Violence. When I first started reading this book, I was shocked by the detail of the violence that Alex and his gang brought onto others. While it was shocking, it wasn't off-putting, and I think that the use of language in the novel helped. The characters had their own sort of language, and while it took a few chapters to get used to, it ultimately left me feeling more set in this dystopian time and place.
The descriptions of the violent crimes was intense, and you as a reader could see how Alex saw it as almost euphoric. The turn where Alex goes to jail and is "cured of his violent tendencies" through the "Ludovico Technique" is really quite interesting. Alex isn't violent anymore, but he has lost one of the things that makes him the happiest (classical music), and wants to kill himself. I see this is a fascinating statement about free will, and what humans choose to do in order to bring themselves happiness.
While Alex is a horribly violent person, he is himself. After the treatment, he isn't himself at all. It leads to this: is being yourself better than being brain-washed? The initial answer would probably be yes, but in Alex's case, the answer isn't so clear. Being conditioned to be good doesn't mean that you are actually good. This is further shown when Alex reverts into his old ways of violence.
Honestly, this work seemed more dystopian dark fiction than anything, and reading it for this class made me try to think of it as a horror, sci fi, or fantasy story. I didn't really see it as any of these, and I don't think it matters. The story is entertaining, captivating, and accomplishes what I think most writers seek to accomplish in their work: a glimpse into the human experience.
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