After the publication of his most notable work, A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess commented on the function of literature in a changing society. There is no point in writing a novel unless you can show the possibility of a moral transformation, or an increase in wisdom, operating in your main character. (Burgess viii) Therefore, this focus on individual ethics becomes the most pervasive theme in A Clockwork Orange. The novel is set in an Orwellian, anti-utopian civilization where the cultures of the Western and Eastern Communist world have intermarried. Alex, the main character, speaks in a combination of English and a Russian slang called nadsat. The government, however, undoubtedly evokes the Iron Curtain of Russian communism. The novel chronicles the atrocities committed by Alex and his droogs and the subsequent government supported Alex's brainwashing and supposed moral transformation. From the first page, the novel poses the question of free will. The title itself is significant in this context because A Clockwork Orange is a metaphor for one who has lost the power of free will, one who has the appearance of an organism (Orange) but is in reality just a wind-up mechanical toy. God, the devil or the all-powerful state. The relevance of the title is evident in the existentialist dilemma that is the essence of the novel; Does God want goodness or the choice of goodness? (Morris 44)Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first chapter of the novel paints a very bleak picture of Alex; he is undeniably evil. Not only does Alex commit violent acts, but he finds sadistic pleasure in them. And, my brothers, it was a real satisfaction for me to waltz and sculpt the insolent one on the left and the insolent one on the right, so that like two curtains of blood seemed to be pouring out every moment. at the same time, one on each side of its big oily muzzle. (Burgess 17) This passage shows Alex's complete disregard for humanity and the law. The use of the word waltz also illustrates a seemingly incongruous character trait of Alex's, his love of music, particularly classical music. This irony is even more evident in a scene where Alex gives 2 pre-teen ptitsas the old in-out in-out to the tune of Beethoven's 9th, then I pulled out the lovely 9th and made the needle whistle on the last movement... this time they found nothing amusing and had to submit to the strange and bizarre desires of Alexander the Great. (Burgess 46) This poses the paradox of how a wild and vicious adolescent can appreciate the cultivated refinement of European classical music. However, Alex sees classical music and violence not as incongruous, but complementary. As his aforementioned waltz shows, violence, in Alex's eyes, is a form of creative self-expression. The gentlest and most heavenly activities involve a certain measure of violence. (Burgess 115) Alex operates under the hedonistic principle of self-indulgence. He satisfies his desires, whether they are violent impulses or passions for classical music. However, Alex's essential characteristic is that he is free to choose. Even though he chooses evil, the ability to choose is at the core of his existence. Alex's evils are undeniable, but Burgess also presents the less obvious evils perpetrated by a repressive government. The government in A Clockwork Orange controls every aspect of society, from the government-produced television station Statefilm to the government housing in which Alex resides. Additionally, Christianity was banned because God was reduced to aold bog. It was government control over individual liberty that Burgess despised. He believes that the government, in attempting to manipulate free thought, is guilty of a moral evil greater than those committed by Alex, because it violates the essence of man, free will. Burgess attacks what he sees as the fundamental flaw of socialism, the belief that man is capable of being conditioned. (Kennard 66) This feeling is best expressed in the character of F. Alexander, who is a member of an anti-government faction, in an attempt to impose laws and regulations on man, a growing creature capable of gentleness. conditions appropriate to a mechanical system. creation, against this I raise my pen-sword. (Burgess 22) Although Burgess attacks state policies, he does not claim that they are solely responsible for Alex's actions. Burgess believes in free will, but he also believes in the natural consequences of actions. In the second part of the novel, the consequences of Alex's ultra-violent streak come to fruition when he is arrested after murdering a woman during an attempted robbery. Alex is tried and sentenced to 14 years in the Staja (state prison). The government no longer recognizes Alex as a person, he is only referred to as 66555321, his prison number. The only one who still recognizes Alex's possibility of redemption is the prison chaplain, far from admirable. He is well-intentioned and opposes many government policies, but he is too drunk to say what he knows is right and moral. Despite his weaknesses, he manages to convince Alex to read the Bible and even take responsibility for his actions. So I read all about scourging and crowning with thorns and realized there was something to it. I closed my glasses and emptied myself to help with the tolchocking and nailing, being dressed in a toga similar to that of the Roman fashion. (Burgess 79) Clearly, Alex recognizes the sins he has committed and the harm he has caused. The reference to being nailed to the cross presents the Christian belief that Jesus died for the sins of all humanity and that humans, by nature, are imperfect. However, within this sin and imperfection there is also the possibility of redemption, and Alex begins to realize this potential. Additionally, the use of Christian imagery illustrates the state-sanctioned Augustinian view of humanity. Traditional Augustinianism holds that humans are inherently evil and can only be saved by divine grace. The crucifixion of the son of God by man supports this theory of a tendency to evil. However, the State in A Clockwork Orange distorted traditional Augustinian theory to justify a totalitarian government that exercises absolute authority over humans. (Aggeler 110) Burgess clearly opposes this political theory popularized by Thomas Hobbes. Alex continues to be a model prisoner and shows signs of improvement until he wakes up one night to find one of his cellmates staring at him and petting him. Alex and the other cellmates end up beating this chelloveck to death, and Alex is blamed for it. Therefore, Alex becomes the guinea pig for the recently developed Ludovicos technique. Alex is transferred to a new facility where the technique will be administered by Dr. Brodsky. Alex is given an injection which causes severe nausea and is then forced to watch films of rape, murder and other acts of violence. Dr. Brodsky's favorites include films about Nazi concentration camps and Japanese torture methods during World War II. The theory behind the technique is association. Alex will associate feeling seriously ill with everything 129)