Every chapter of A Clockwork Orange has managed to horrify me as much, if not more, than the previous. By the last chapter, I think everyone knew something horrible was going to happen, the only question was what could possibly make it any worse? That's when I began to read the last chapter which paralleled the first chapter in many ways. The only way A Clockwork Orange could continue to get more horrifying is if Burgess suggested in the final chapter that the cycle of awful violence was only going to begin again.
After seeing the terrifying effects of Alex's treatment, I began to pity him. To see him return to his old ways completely changes my mind. The treatment Alex received was inhumane and it is difficult to say that I am in support of it, but I am. As far as I am concerned, Alex deserves to suffer at the hands of all of those who he previously harmed. Once he gained back his ability to commit crimes, I expected him to show a new understanding and restraint of some type. After seing the suffering that he caused the writer and so many others. Because he has no remorse, I can feel no remorse for him as he is tortured by others.
It was interesting to see Alex discuss the process of growing up and he seems to admit that he deserves to suffer for his mistakes, as it is only natural. While I don't feel that this recognition makes him a better person, I do think it shows that he has matured, first accepting that what he has done is a mistake and then that the suffering is deserved.
Russell, I totally agree with you. I began to feel sorry for him when he stumbled into F. Alexander's house. I cringed as he recalled more and more details of that horrific evening. I had to step back for a second and I realized that I was pardoning a killer and rapist. How did I manage to rationalize that in my mind?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, as the last chapter began in a startlingly similar way to the first, I put my hand on my face and dreaded the inevitable outcome that Alex would be going back to his ways. However, I knew something was different once he mentioned he was going to have a beer, a distinctly different drink from what he usually has. The significance of the beer is that it is regarded as an "adult" drink that requires taste to appreciate, rather than cheap alcohol like the scotch that his droogs enjoy.
I agree with Russell and Brian. While Alex is a rapist and a murderer and people like him are the bane of society, his "reformation" in prison with the Ludovico technique temporarily made me forget who he really is. Perhaps this is because he is the narrator or because for a time the Ludovico technique casts Alex aside and becomes the star of the show or maybe I've just been exposed to too many redemption stories, but Alex's relapse at the end of the story reminded me that this is a case of bad things happening to a bad person. The thing is, though, is that the government is not much different then Alex. While Alex was strapped into the chair becoming visibly sick to the horror show before him, the doctors and administrators laughed sadistically as he retched and convulsed. This is the exact same reaction that I would imagine Alex would have if he was watching somebody in pain like that. This disgusts me almost as much as Alex does and makes me want nothing more than to wash my hands and wipe them clean of Alex and the dystopian London government that is eerily similar to the prisoner that they abused.
ReplyDeleteSince Alex's appetite for violence returned, the only change that occurred in his character from the beginning of the novel to the end was that he learned that he has to suffer for his mistakes. This is a significant growth, however it is tempered by the fact that this knowledge does not necessarily sway Alex from putting a new gang together and presumably embarking on new ultra-violent excursions.
First of all, I think Burgess would be proud to hear you say that you were increasingly horrified by each chapter of this novel. It's safe to say that was one of his objectives, as a means to deliver his message. I also think the similarities between the beginning and the end are not unintentional - Burgess seems to want to emphasize that cyclical nature of Alex's existence. And yet, in the end, we do pity him, far more than we ever did in the beginning.
ReplyDeleteAnd, perhaps, the Ludovico technique is also used on us as readers. Because we have witnessed Alex in this horrible position of the victim, we become conditioned to see him that way and reject him as the perpetrator.
When trying to think about how I feel about Alex, I too am caught between pity but also feeling that his suffering at Ludovico's technique was justified. Yes, he committed many heinous and unprovoked crimes but one could make the argument that violence is simply in his nature. Not that this excuses what he'd done but slightly changes my perspective on Alex knowing that, in a way, his behavior is partly a product of the violent time he's grown up in. From a modern perspective, it can be hard to pardon Alex for his actions but looking within the context of the story's setting, it definitely seems that he himself is a victim of society (especially in the 3rd part of the book).
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, Alex is still a murderer, burglar, and criminal. However, is it really fair to judge him by his actions if they are just a part of his nature? Can a shark really be blamed for killing even if it's just pure instinct?
What a great question about the nature of a shark, Brian! I like that metaphor for Alex. But I have to wonder if human nature is more complex and also more enlightened than the shark, who hunts for survival and not for personal enjoyment, as it seems Alex does.
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