Quote

While doing some follow up analysis of my reading on sparknotes, I re stumbled across a very interesting quote from the novel. It is a quote that I believe truly sums up Burgess's purpose in writing this novel.

"What does God want? Does God want goodness or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses the bad perhaps in some way better than a man who has the good imposed upon him?"


Burgess’s gruesome novel really brings this idea to life, and puts things in perspective. Often times, as teenagers, we are constantly forced to do “good”. We are so influenced by higher authority that our lives are already pre routed in the direction of righteousness. But is this necessarily the best thing? In the grand scheme of things, wouldn’t God rather us be given the choice between right and wrong? Instead of having us forced in one direction, maybe it is better if we are forced to make a decision, to choose our own path. Obviously, if when given the choice, one chooses good over bad, and right over wrong, then he reaches ultimate success. But what if one chooses bad over good? Does having the choice of your own path out weigh the decision you make?

It is a question that will be constantly debated, and opinions will vary. Burgess brings this debate to life through his protagonist Alex. Alex is first living in a society where he and his friends are always left up to themselves to make their own decision. They rape, kill, and steal, and always make the wrong decision. This seems bad until you see what happens when Alex is no longer given the choice, and doing the right thing is forced upon him. Although I have not yet concluded the novel, things are going downhill very quickly for Alex. It seems he cannot win either way. The end of the book should shine some light onto this question, but even then, it is a debate that will never end.

clockwork

I have finished part I of A Clockwork Orange, and I must say I am pretty satisfied by this point. The book has shaped out to be exactly what I heard it to be, an action packed, violent thriler. There are few dull points in the novel, as Alex, either alone or with his gang, is out committing apalling crimes. There are a few things on my mind in the conclusion of part I. The first is that after reading 1984, I can not help but pointing out the differences in the novels, but at the same time they are somewhat similar. They are both dystopian societies, but for opposite reasons. In 1984, the government has too much control and is watching people's every move, which leads to a loss of individuality. In A Clockwork Orange, there is way too much freedom. While kids are allowed to go off and be themselves and be individual, the lack of supervision and discipline leaves opportunity for crime. Society in A Clockwork Orange is infested with people who take advantage of their freedom, and is inundated with violent crime. The second thing is Alex's constant obsession with classical music. At first it doesn't seem to make any sense or fit into the story, but later on I realized it adds to the character of the sick psychopath criminal that Alex is. And he is an unstable, and sick minded human. This being said, I am reluctant to admit that I somewhat feel bad for Alex when he gets arrested. For some reason when he is betrayed by his friends, and is helplessly taunted and beat by the officers, and then molested in jail, I feel sorry for him. One would think that he is getting a taste of his own medicine, and I agree, but there is just something that makes me sorry for him. Strange I know, and even more odd is the fact that I can't quite put my finger on what it is about Alex that would make a reader feel bad for him. Now that I am thinking about it though, I will be more concious of this when I am reading part II and hopefully answer my question.

haircut?

So yeah, I got my haircut yesterday. Makes me look like a 12 year old school boy. Whatever, had to get the hair out of my eyes; it was becoming a noticable problem during basketball. I only get my haircut like 3 or 4 times a year and I hate it everytime so this is nothing new. Also I shaved my goatee all the way contributing to my "about to hit puberty" look of a 12 year old. The good news is both will be back before we know it, so I will live. I'm not sure why I am posting about this, but I will get back to reading now.

Interesting Language

Although only two chapters into this novel, there is much to write about. Burgess wastes no time in throwing the reader right into the action. I have already read in vivid detail of several brutal beatings and gruesome rape. Burgess does a great job of hurling his reader directly into the lives of Alex and his three droogs. Perhaps the most interesting element of this novel thus far however, even more so than the instant violence, is the language. The book is well written but the english pros are frequently interrupted with Alex's gang's slang, Nadsat. Defined as an invented language influenced by Russian, German, English, and slang, it flows perfectly in the novel. While some of my classmates have criticized Burgess for creating his own words because it makes it impossible to read and understand, I think there is a need for Nadsat in A Clockwork Orange. The language flows nicely within the pros and Burgess provides us with enough context clues to determine what his made up words mean. Nadsat is an effective way of bringing the reader into the lives of Alex and his gang. To get a feel for the Nadsat language, what kind of words are used and their translation, you can visit this interpreter.

woops

Change of plans, actually. I recently came across the book A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, a book that I have heard so much about. Supposedly it is a brilliant novel, terrifying and marvelous at the same time. It is the story of a vicious teenage boy named Alex who is the leader of a criminal gang. Together they violently terrorize the community, beating men and raping women, with no regard for human life. I decided that I am more attracted to this mind grabbing violence than to the moral debate of The Sunflower at the moment. In conclusion, A Clockwork Orange will be my first novel, so place The Sunflower on the shelf for a while.