Although Alex is a murderer and a sociopath and he deserves to rot in jail, his struggle against the government is not one of good vs. evil. Something that occurred to me over the past couple readings as Alex has endured the Ludovico technique, is that the government's opposition to a senseless murderer like Alex does not make it a force for good. The Ludovico technique (which trains people to become sick at the sight of violence by chemically inducing nausea while watching violent films) has a Pavlovian effect on Alex and forces him to react to certain stimuli in fixed ways like how a computer reacts to commands the same way every time you click or type them in. In the jail, the priest objects to the Ludovico technique by saying that it is wrong because it takes away Alex's right to choice, and therefore Alex's redemption will not be real. This is an important contention not only because they are prohibiting Alex from learning from his mistakes, but they are taking his humanity away which is extremely unethical. Not only do the officials administering the drugs to Alex watch and laugh sadistically as Alex screams and vomits uncontrollably and begs for mercy, but the mere idea of the government wielding the power of mind control is an extremely scary thought and why this is a dystopian society. This power is something that nobody should ever have and the fact that the government has it provides the means for them to rule tyrannically. Perhaps this is the only way to reform Alex, but it's not worth the cost. This kind of mental conditioning is a form of slavery.
Looking forward, I am intrigued by what Alex's life will be back on the outside. Clearly Alex will not resort to his old ways, but how will his life be different? What will his parents say when they see him for the first time after his release What if he is put into a situation where he has to protect himself and is unable to?
I like your suggestion that conditioning is nothing but a form of slavery - that's absolutely true. Alex's change is not genuine, but a medicated response. I wonder if Burgess is suggesting that any form of free will is preferable. And if he is suggesting that, I fear for what sort of world would result from it!
ReplyDeleteIt is a very creepy thought, that the government conditions people to atone for their sins and stop their criminal ways through making them feel sick. It is really too much power for the government, and makes his acts false, as Alex is not acting on his own to become a better person. But, I also wonder if this is an extreme version of prisons and asylums, who are essentially trying to do the same thing. They are punishing people and using psychological help to try to teach people that it is not right to act criminally. If such is the case, then are our prisons and psychiatric wards just as bad as A Clockwork Orange’s government, or on the path to it?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I wonder what form of conditioning is worse; one where the people are being conditioned to “right” their wrongs, such as Alex’s world is doing to him, or like how it is in Brave New World, where the people have been conditioned their entire lives so that they don’t know anything else and are happy that way. Is it better to have the possibly have some control in your life, but then have yourself violently retrained, against your will, when you do something wrong, or to have been conditioned your entire life and not see anything wrong about it? It’s an interesting question on morality and conditioning.
Lucky Club Casino Sites ᐈ Latest in 2021
ReplyDeleteLucky Club Casino Review — Lucky Club is a popular online casino. It is one of the biggest online casinos on the net with 카지노사이트luckclub over 3 million players worldwide