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.