A Clockwork Orange

Clockwork orange: a true Horrowshow, without the Rocky

'When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man'. 

It is with this quote that I begin my very first book review of Anthony Burgess' ground-breaking novel, A Clockwork Orange. Naturally, I decided to base my debut review on of my favourite novels: a dystopian, occasionally comical and universally controversial tale that questions what true freedom really entails. Indeed, it is this quote that deems this novel (in my humble opinion), the greatest book I have read for a long time, if not ever.

Written for the most part through the media of Russian and Cockney rhyming slang, Burgess places his characters in a dystopian future, in which gang violence plagues the streets.The reader is invited to join 15-year-old sadist Alexander Delarge on his territorial nightly rampages, accompanied by his 3 seemingly faithful 'droogs'. Ring-leader of the pack, and dedicated customer at the infamous Korova Milk-bar, Alexander is nothing short of the best. His nights are filled with the horrendous, drug-induced  antics which he deems 'ultra-violence', whilst his days are spent paying homage to his all-time idol: his beloved 'Ludwig Van'. 

To any far-off spectator, this novel appears nothing but a tale of stomach-churning violence, to the contrapuntal sountrack of Beethoven's classic symphonies. Yet, upon closer inspection, the novel reveals revolutionary themes about politics, attitudes towards youth and the fascinating matter of free will.

Inevitably, Alex's criminality catches up with him and he is sentenced to 14 years in the 'old stripy hole.' It is during the first 2 years of his sentence that he is introduced to the Government's esteemed new "reformation technique", aiming to reform prisoners in just 2 weeks, sparking their early release from prison. In the interest of not exposing spoilers, I will refrain from revealing the exact nature of these techniques, but rest assured- they are not pleasant. They are essentially directed towards a future in which criminals will no longer possess the desire, nor the ability, to commit evil acts, and Alexander is their very first (un)willing guinea-pig.

Thus, an important social issue is raised in this novel, largely resembling the "Big Brother" phenomenon of George Orwell's 1984. It seems that Burgess is alluding to a future era in which our actions are anticipated and controlled to such an extent that free will becomes a stranger. Could such a notion become the harsh reality of the near-future?

Further, the dismissive attitudes of the Government towards adolescents are highlighted through Burgess' portrayal of the Police and Prison Officers in the novel, nicknamed 'millicents' by the narrator. With officers that beat him, wardens that turn their backs to injustice and a correctional officer that sees Alex as nothing more than a mark on his tally chart of failures, it seems that the authoritative body in this dystopian world is next to useless.  'A victim of the modern age'- is the label given to Alex by one particular character, which may just be true for many young juveniles. Such a novel that leads the reader to sympathise with the disgustingly brutal criminal over the so-called justice-promoting authorities is a powerful one in any case.

Still, perhaps the most enticing ingredient within the plot is the growing crescendo of affection that the reader feels for Alexander. The reader laughs with him, suffers with him, and experiences every outburst of violence as he does. In this sense, the use of rhyming slang is especially effective as a great deal of the novel must be dedicated simply to understanding what Alex is going on about. (For example, 'horrowshow', meaning 'good' or 'cool', is one of Alex's favourite adjectives, and gives this article its dashing headline.) Once definitions have been achieved, one can not only understand Alex but relate to him on an increasingly personal level. I never imagined that I could find something of myself in a shop-lifting, bloodthirsty drug addict- yet I stand corrected.

If you can stomach the not-so-subtle references to violence, and wade your way through Alex's infamous slang (don't worry, an online glossary can be googled if you really can't understand the text), you might just find yourself experiencing one of the most wickedly interesting novels in literary existence. What's more, you might even find yourself unleashing your own inner criminal, warts and all.