In the novel “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess, the narration is conducted on behalf of a difficult teenager Alex. He and his friends rob, rape, and arrange brutal reprisals. At the same time, he describes all the actions in an ordinary tone, as if nothing is happening. During one of the robberies, the main character falls into the hands of the police. There he beats his cellmate to death, and after that, it is decided to fix the young killer. Thus, the author demonstrates the need to combat aggression at the state level. Forced methods of correction used by the government in the long-term lead to character evaluation – Alex eventually becomes a law-abiding citizen.
The fact that the juvenile delinquent and bully have undergone changes is noticeable even during the course of treatment. The doctors tie Alex up and start playing films full of brutal violence, cruelty, and other bloody scenes. At the same time, they inject the patient with a vaccine that causes spasms in order to develop a reflex of the connection between the commission of violence and the feeling of pain. After that, Alex begins to have terrible pains just at the thought of atrocities (Irwin 9). Even the thought of a petty robbery brings him suffering and causes nausea. The very thought of violence causes Alex such pain that he can only be kind.
The treatment does not stop working when Alex leaves the walls of the hospital, and it turns out to be effective in real conditions. Alex is released, corrected, and safe for society: he does not show violence even when he is provoked to do so because the hero immediately becomes terribly ill. Alex still considers this world not good; he does not find a place for justice, kindness, honesty, and empathy in it. However, ultra-violence is not the meaning and form of his existence anymore. When he listens to Mozart or Bach, he no longer imagines destroying a store or raping women. Aggression and destruction cease to be habitual and lose their aesthetic significance and euphoric effect.
Even after the medicinal serum leaves Alex’s body, the process started in the brain continues and leads to a personal transformation. After falling from the seventh floor, a large blood loss leads to the fact that the serum comes out with it. The excruciating pains and dizziness go away; now, the character can rob and kill again. However, after trying to return to the old way of life, Alex no longer gets such pleasure. After some time, he realizes that he is sick of his old lifestyle. From now on, his dream is the idea of creating a family and having a spouse and children.
The violent treatment of the main character led to a personal transformation. It was not possible for the hero to independently come to the realization of his actions and to their redemption. By such a cruel method, the doctors made him understand that life without violence is possible and has its advantages. It was a long and painful process for the hero, which began with the development of physical reflexes that did not affect his moral character of Alex. At this stage of transformation, it seemed that Alex had lost his essence and became a biorobot deprived of a full life. However, the next stage of his development showed that the treatment was still successful and led to profound personal changes.
Work Cited
Irwin, Jones. “Is Alex Redeemable? A Clockwork Orange as a Philosophical-Literary Platonic Fable.” Journal of Science Fiction and Philosophy, vol. 4, no. 3, 2021, pp. 1-10.