The text highlights the importance of moral freedom, which is deemed as the primary freedom for humans. It pertains to the capability to select between good and bad actions, or a mixture of both. Totalitarian governments strip individuals of their choice, resulting in the repression and imprisonment of the soul. In A Clockwork Orange, the setting serves as a parallel to an oppressive government with totalitarian characteristics. The protagonist, Alex, symbolizes the ordinary person and his battle within such a government. Anthony Burgess proposes that even society’s outcasts should be granted recognition for their moral freedom.
In the Korova milk bar, me (aka Alex) and my three droogs (Pete, Georgie, and Dim) spent our time discussing our plans for the evening as typical rassadooks or teenagers. As a group of hoodlums, we engaged in acts of violence and crime because we believed in our moral freedom to choose wrongdoing. Our first act involved assaulting a young man in an alley. Then, we went to the house of an author and proceeded to vandalize it and rape his wife. During this incident, we stumbled upon a book titled A Clockwork Orange. As I read it, I ironically laughed and tore it up because it described the attempt to enforce laws and conditions suitable for a mechanical creation upon man, who is a creature capable of growth and sweetness. After such an eventful night, I returned to my home in Municipal Flatblock 18A, situated between Kingsley Avenue and Wilsonway, where I lived with my parents. Upon reaching my room, I switched on my stereo and allowed my love for classical music, including Mozart, Beethoven, and G.F. Handel, to manifest itself. The next morning, I made the decision to skip school and ended up violently raping two devotchkas once again, highlighting my moral freedom to choose bad actions. Later that same night, we attempted to rob an elderly psitsa who lived with a hundred cats.Alex murders the elderly woman, resulting in his apprehension by the millicents, who will subject him to an adult trial.
During his trial, Alex proclaims his innocence and accuses his companions. “Where are the others? Where are my stinking traitorous droogs? One of my cursed grazhny bratties forced me into the situation,” he declares (1.65; ch.6). However, his pleas are in vain as he is sent to the Staja, a penitentiary. In this grim environment filled with older criminals, Alex feels oppressed. Despite the circumstances aligning with his brutal nature, he realizes that only through repentance and good behavior can he hope to be released from the clutches of justice. To present himself as a reformed criminal, Alex turns to religion. He participates in religious ceremonies, becoming friends with the prison chaplain. Yet, his true motive for reform is not driven by faith but rather his desire for vengeance against his treacherous companions and a swift return to his thug life. When he learns about a new technique called the Ludovico Technique that promises a quick release, Alex becomes even more fixated on the idea. Although the chaplain raises doubts about its ability to truly make someone good, this does not dissuade Alex but instead intensifies his longing for an early release (2.83; ch.1).He has been selected as the initial test subject for the new Ludovico technique. As the population grows, so does the crime rate, leading to the development of new methods to treat and reform criminal behavior. The minister declares that outdated penal theories are no longer a concern for the government. The approach now is to congregate criminals together and observe the outcome. This results in a concentrated form of criminality occurring within the punishment itself. The goal is to eliminate the criminal reflex entirely. Alex believes this is an ideal solution, allowing him to become both good and free while quickly escaping his situation. However, he fails to recognize that his enthusiasm blinds him from the oppression and robs him of his moral freedom. The prison chaplain warns him about the difficult ethical questions involved in this process. Alex will be transformed into a “good boy” labeled as 6655321, with no desire to commit violence or offend against the state’s peace. The chaplain hopes Alex thoroughly understands this and questions whether a person who chooses evil may, in some way, be better than someone who has goodness imposed upon them. By willingly relinquishing the ability to make ethical choices, Alex has, in a sense, chosen the good.
Alex undergoes responsive conditioning, utilizing drugs and films. This method aims to induce discomfort when exposed to negative thoughts or websites. Classical music, which Alex previously enjoyed, is also used in the conditioning, causing him to feel nauseous when he hears it. After a two-week stay at the institution, Alex appears to be cured. However, due to the conditioning, he is unable to respond violently towards an aggressive man. The effectiveness of this technique is evident during a demonstration, except for the Staja chaplain who recognizes that Alex’s actions lack moral freedom. The chaplain believes that Alex no longer has the ability to make moral choices and points out his insincere behavior driven by self-interest and fear of physical pain. The attending doctor dismisses these concerns as they are solely focused on reducing crime rather than motive or higher ethics.
After being released, Alex returns home only to find his parents thinking he escaped and now living with a new lodger. Feeling unwanted and rejected, he goes to the Public Biblio where he is attacked by an elderly mob who recognize him as the person who destroyed books on crystallography. The police step in and stop the fight. To his surprise, among the Millicents present are two familiar faces – Billyboy, his old enemy; and Dim, his former companion.They bring him to the countryside and violently assault him, leaving him vulnerable due to his conditioning. When he wakes up, Alex discovers a house in a nearby village labeled “Home,” unaware that it belongs to the author of A Clockwork Orange. However, upon recognizing Alex, the author takes him in and provides assistance. The author is known as F. Alexander, and he and his friends are dedicated to raising public awareness about the horrors of the Ludovico technique. Meanwhile, Alex’s mental state deteriorates, and overwhelmed by his trauma, he decides to end his own life by jumping out of a window. However, his attempt fails to kill him (3.169;ch.6).
After the fall, Alex has miraculously recovered from the consequences of the Ludovico’s technique, returning to his former immoral self. He quickly resumes his violent habits and attracts a new gang of followers. Despite his newfound freedom, he deliberately refrains from engaging in extreme violence. Additionally, he reunites with an old accomplice who has settled down with a wife and child, prompting Alex to desire a similar life for himself. Over time, Alex has transitioned from adolescence to adulthood, showing signs of maturity.
The novel’s central theme is moral freedom, according to Anthony Burgess. He believes that even if one’s actions are righteous, they are spiritually confined and oppressed without moral freedom. Burgess conveys his viewpoint through the dialogue of the chaplain, who understands the evils of Ludovico’s technique. If someone is forced into goodness and compelled to do what is right, it lacks ethical or moral conviction. Instead, they become a mere tool or pawn of the state, similar to a clockwork orange or an automaton devoid of individuality and choice.
Work Cited(1) Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange. New York: Ballantine Books, 1963.
(2) A Critical Look at A Clockwork Orange, Clark, Cameron B. Feb. 2002.
(3) A Clockwork Orange Resucked, Burgess, Anthony. Feb. 2002.
(4) “A Clockwork Orange”. Planet Papers. Feb. 2002.
