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A Clockwork Orange
by Anthony Burgess
A twist on the traditional novel, in which the hero is a morally vile criminal.
First, a disclaimer: A Clockwork Orange should not be read by the faint of heart as it is shockingly graphic in its violence.
Alex is the fifteen year-old protagonist who narrates the story in a language called “nadsat,” a teenage slang. He leads a small criminal gang, and together they spend their time at the Korova Milkbar where they drink drug-laced milk before terrorizing the streets, beating men and raping women.
One day after sitting around and drinking at the Korova the gang engages on another crime spree, the last of which is particularly vicious. Alex and the others break into a cottage house where they beat a man brutally before raping his wife and forcing him to watch. Afterward, the gang returns to the bar where they scrap and listen to Alex’s favorite, classical music. But when one of his fellow members, Dim, mocks his musical taste, they fight and the gang turns on him. Following their next break-in, a woman calls the police and Alex, who has been abandoned by his gang, is caught and taken to prison. He is sentenced to fourteen years. He spends his years studying the Old Testament, which he enjoys solely for the violence and sex he finds in its pages.
After Alex fights and kills a cell mate he is selected to participate in an experimental treatment called Ludovico’s Technique, a Pavolonian form of associative brainwashing. He is first injected with a substance that makes him terribly sick, and then is forced to watch violent movies, which he learns to associate with painful headaches and extreme nausea. He is rendered completely defenseless and can no longer engage in violence or even listen to classical music. His treatment is considered a great success among the members of the State. The rest of the story chronicles his life after his release.
Published in 1962 A Clockwork Orange is best known for its 1971 film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick. The movie is every bit as graphically violent as the novel, and many find it difficult to watch. Although the book is considered to be one of the best English-language novels it is told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator and should be taken with a grain of salt.
Title: A Clockwork Orange
Author: Anthony Burgess
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393312836
Review written by: Jennifer Kneisley
Reviewer's Rating:8
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
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