Review of “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess
by Evelyn Brown
Whether your interest is in crude dystopian literature, crass actualization of the world around us, or purely mythically written novels, “a Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess is an exceptionally written classic that serves as an apropos representation of our world.
The novel tells a crass, hard to piece together story told from the perspective of teenage “Alex”. Opening the novel, the language used is a mix of Russian and Burgess’ own creation. While difficult to follow along with initially, a dictionary can be used to decipher the words and follow along. By the end of the novel, you know most of the confusing words used. As you learn about the world that surrounds Alex, you also learn to decipher the language it uses.
Alex, our main character, is a youth whose behavior is corrupt by lust, drugs, violence, and general unrest. Alex undergoes federally sponsored “rehabilitation”, in which they show him videos and rewire his brain. The famous pop-culture moment of having someone’s eyes forced open to watch something comes from Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation of “a Clockwork Orange.” Furthermore, Kubrick’s film chooses to exclude content from the novel that some audiences may find “too explicit”. This claim shows you how powerful the novel itself must be.
Burgess’ novel serves not only as a commentary on extremist forms of government, but itself questions the ethicality of “mental rehabilitation.” Sure, Alex is a loathsome character, and Burgess makes sure to demonstrate as such. But it leaves us with the question, is it really ethical to change his very being? Does this young boy deserve to have his consciousness rewritten for the ideals of the state? Such interpretations are purely up to the discretion of the reader.
The novel also leaves us with many unanswered questions, creating confusion and an environment up to interpretation for the reader. Who exactly sponsored this operation? Why has Alex, being recently detained, become the centerpiece for such an operation? How does a society in shambles and disarray have the manpower or technology to completely rehabilitate a human being? How did the federal government even find this ethical? Where does this take place?
“A Clockwork Orange” is a modern masterpiece of literature, opening avenues for questions and different perspectives regarding the world around us. Whether it is the unique writing style and literary lens, crass content that supports questions of ethicality, or incredibly disturbing characterization, the novel represents a gem of the modern age. Anthony Burgess is truly a genius in his works.
