The crimes that Alex commits are so horrifying that it is difficult to look past them and understand him as a person. In the first four chapters we have learned a fair amount about his character so that we can begin to understand him.
First, Alex seems to be a religious character. He has mentioned a "Bog" four times in a context where "God" would be appropriate. He finally makes this connection clear when he states "that self is made by old Bog or God" (40). In The Road, we saw that the criminals seemed to be godless characters, but Alex almost uses religion as a justification for his actions. He argues that because he was made as he is by God, enjoying violence, it is only natural for him to follow his impulses to rape, pillage, and murder. While many seek religion for hope, Alex seems to seek justification.
A second interesting quality that Alex possesses is his love of music, specifically classical and opera, not the music one would expect a thug to listen to. He argues that violence and art go well together. Initially it seemed as though music was something pure to Alex, as he is furious when Dim disrespects the woman in the bar who sings opera. In chapter four, however, we see that music is not so much something pure, as much as it may be a way for Alex to express his emotions, along with his violence.
A final quality, which is still unclear to me, is Alex's hate for intellectuals. He loves art, especially music, which is written, as is a book. Yet he seems to despise books, tearing all literature he finds to pieces (the old man's books and the writer's "A Clockwork Orange"). When he recalls the writer and his wife later, in chapter three, he becomes more enraged and wishes he had beat them worse. I don't yet understand Alex's hate for intellectuals but I'm sure we will be able to understand more as we learn more about him.
I see Alex as a supremely insecure character, who, for all his bravado, ultimately seeks acceptance. He finds power as the leader of his droogs, and as the source of fear for many adults. But intellectuals do have a power that makes Alex feel weak or threatened. It seems as though they make him realize something about himself that he would much rather ignore.
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