Clockwork Orange Film/novel

5 Pages 1371 Words

When he wrote A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess created his own world set in London during a future time when gangs and violence are rampant on the streets. This style of literature stressed the overly pessimistic view of human nature and violence as well as the evil ways of human behavior. Going even deeper, this novel attempts to confront the subject of one?s free will and whether or not most people actually have any at all. Alex proves that he in fact is one of few people who can truly exercise free will. His care free attitude in which he does as he pleases, regardless of the known consequences, proves in fact that he does practice free will. Whenever Alex makes a choice both in the novel and the film, it is clear that he is making that choice based on his own personal desires, and nothing more. ?The not-self cannot have the bad, meaning they of the government and the judges and the schools cannot allow the bad because they cannot allow the self. And is not our modern history, my brothers, the story of brave malenky selves fighting the big machines? I am serious with you, brothers, over this. But what I do I do because I like to do.? (Burgess 40). This is an important aspect of the novel when translating it to a film medium because of the extreme abuse and restriction of free will found throughout the novel. Stanley Kubrick as a director complements these feelings of free will by using certain techniques and motifs, as well as by adding and omitting parts of the novel, to convey to the viewers a similar feeling.
Alex?s character at the start of the novel is one who lives without any of the restrictions and expectations of society. He has a true sense of free will because his actions and words are not determined by those that are around him. This is noticeable from the very beginning of the novel. ? ? Where out? ? said Georgie. ? Oh, just to keep walking, ? I said, ? and viddy what turns up, O my little brothers. ? ? (Bur...