Customer Reviews

A Clockwork Orange

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I am a senior at Mercy High School in Middletown, CT and I must say that I was incredibly skeptical about reading this book. I picked it randomly from a list of books to do a project on, and was warned after about its intense violence, and difficult language. After reading it, though, I would rate it was one of the most worthwhile books I've read in my high school career. I found Burgess's invented slang intriguing (although difficult to comprehend at first) and I felt that it added to Alex's character. Burgess did an excellent job of developing each of the characters, and even though he was a cruel delinquent I often found myself feeling badly for Alex. The last chapeter was the one that enjoyed the most (apparently it wasn't included in the original American versions) because it displayed so much hope for this troubled young man. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but would strongly warn the reader about its violence. The book should not be read by those with a weak stomach!

"A Clockwork Orange" is a novel by Anthony Burgess, and it is one of the most famous works of dystopian fiction. It has been made particularly famous by Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation, and both the film and the book are routinely ranked in various surveys amongst the most significant works in their corresponding genres.

One of the main idiosyncrasies of the book is the use of an invented teenage slang (or more specifically "argot") called Nadsat. Burgess was a polyglot, so for him it was an interesting exercise to create a whole new manner of speaking. Nadsat was largely based on Russian words with a few traditional English slang words and phrases. One of the motivations for the invention of a completely fictional slang was Burgess' desire to keep his characters fresh and relevant for a foreseeable future. Thus, a use of any concurrent argots would have made book dated very quickly. However, the heavy use of Nadsat makes "A Clockwork Orange" fairly difficult to read. My native language is Croatian, another Slavic tongue, and I found that I was able to understand majority of the Russian words without a need for a glossary. Nonetheless, the Anglicized orthography of the words made them sufficiently alien to me that I needed to pause and think about the meaning of those words as I was reading. If you are not familiar with any Slavic languages, then either try to go through a glossary of Nadsat words or try to figure their meaning out from the context.

If you can get past the language then "A Clockwork Orange" will present you with one of the most innovative and original works of fiction in the twentieth century. Burgess' ability to completely get into the head of a delinquent youth is astounding and has not lost any of its original freshness. Even in the age when we are bombarded with violent images in the media on a daily basis, the descriptions of "ultraviolence" is still very unsettling and disturbing. One of the book's main themes is a reform of violent offenders, and the ethics of the use of behavioral conditioning as a form of rehabilitation. This is what the title of the book refers to: clockwork orange is an unnatural combination of mechanical clockwork, and a soft, juicy living organism. The contradiction between these two opposing forces creates unresolvable tension that can only end in a disaster.

Despite its innovative use of language, futuristic setting, and the graphical description of violence, "A Clockwork Orange" is essentially a classic morality play. This is probably one of the main reasons for book's enduring popularity and relevance. Themes of youthful alienation, repentant malefactors, and individual's moral progress are universally relatable and applicable. This alone makes this book worth reading and all the effort worthwhile.

In this book about an out-of-control near-future, young Alex is a cynical and violent young man, living in England. Alex has two loves in his life: listening to classical music and seeing flowing blood. Stealing cars, raping women, brutally beating anyone he feels like - it's all an evening's lark to Alex. But, when an elderly woman dies after being attacked by him, Alex finds himself doing hard-time in an over-crowded prison. Offered a chance to get out after a mere fortnight of "treatment," Alex jumps at the chance. Little does he realize just how successful this treatment will be, and all the changes they will make.

This is a rather interesting book, painting a dark picture. Indeed, it's definitely not a book for the faint of heart. I think, though, that this does paint a surprisingly accurate picture of certain elements of modern, Western society. Alex feels the "Joy of the Knife," the same as Macheath did in The Threepenny Opera, and as the recent rioters of London and the flash-mobs of Philadelphia and the Wisconsin State Far do today.

The one flaw in this book is the twenty-first chapter, which was omitted from the original American editions of the book. In this chapter, Alex turns 18, and turns away from his early violence. Indeed, the author seems to suggest that at 18, the criminals suddenly embrace middle-class values and become solid, productive citizens (drinking tea, and attending mildly amusing cocktail parties). Coming at the end of such a frank book, this chapter appears nothing less than Pollyannaish (or as the author put it, "Kennedian").

No, this is an interesting book, one that you should read and consider...except for the last chapter.