Journal Entry – A Clockwork Orange

Journal Entry #3 - A Clockwork Orange Burgess' novel, A Clockwork Orange, carries many themes prevalent to the time- period of the novel's release. In a futuristic city governed by a repressive totalitarian super-state, humans have become machines or lower animals. The main protagonist of the story, Alex, asserts his free will by deciding to live a life of debauchery and violence before being robbed of his free-will by the government. When A Clockwork Orange was written the war against Communism was at its peak.

With many countries such as Russia and Cuba spreading communism to different parts of the orld, the fear of depriving an individual's free-will in light of the public was set in with the United States and its ally forces. Free-will then despite its predication that individuals such as Alex can make the choice of being wicked can also make the choice as a moral agent to do well. Without those choices the human-act of kindness/ good becomes nothing more than a shallow behavior. In the beginning of the novel, Alex merely appears to be a mindless brute, with his thoughts and behaviors geared strictly towards violent behavior.

It is not until he returns home and his post- orrectional officer, Deltoid, enters into his apartment and confronts Alex on his behavior that his views on free-will are made clear; after Deltoid leaves, Alex dismissed Deltoid's apprehension, and states that a government that does not allow its citizens to act badly is a power of authority that robs people of their free-will. Subsequent Alex's attempt to rob an older ladys home, Alex enters the Stala State Jail where he is sentenced fourteen years in prison. It is there that Alex begins the process of being robbed of his free-will. He is stripped of his clothes and his name.

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He is given a prison Jump-suit and a number, 6655321. However, despite Alex's confinement, he is still allowed to partake in his one enjoyment, Classical Music. The prison Chaplain who took an interest into Alex allowed him to read the Bible while listening to Classical Music. During his confinement Alex participates in a program known as Reclamation Treatment. Being successfully selected for use of the program, Alex goes through behavioral reconditioning and loses his will for violence and his love for Classical Music. Becoming a baseless human being, re-programmed by the government, Alex has lost his free-will and humanity.

It is not until the end of the novel that Alex's free-will is restored through the reversal of the reconditioning that was done to him. When Alex met Peetie again at a coffee shop and his wife, he realizes how much Peetie had grown and recants his own views on violence and classical music even. This leads to Alex thinking of his future and the following generation through the scope of his future-son and realizes free-will is the catalyst to human-nature”uncontrolled and responsible for its own mistakes. It is at this point Alex truly becomes a complete human being. Journal Entry - A Clockwork Orange By pkmaximum

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