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.