Analysis of Theme Through The Protagonist in Anthony Burgess' 'A Clockwork Orange'.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………………………………………………
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS …………………………………………………
ii
ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………………….
iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study …………………………………………...
Statement of the Problem …………………………………………..
Purpose of the Study ………………………………………………..
Method of Research ……………………………………………….
Organization of the Thesis ...………………………………………..
1
3
3
3
4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THEME THROUGH
THE PROTAGONIST IN ANTHONY BURGESS’
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE ………………………
5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION …………………………………... 17
BIBLIOGRAPHY ………………………………………………………...
20
APPENDICES:
Synopsis of A Clockwork Orange ….…………...………………….
Biography of Anthony Burgess...………..………………………….
21
22
ii
Maranatha Christian University
ABSTRACT
Dalam Tugas Akhir ini saya menganalisis sebuah novel berjudul A
Clockwork Orange karya Anthony Burgess, seorang penulis novel terkenal abad
ke-20 yang lahir di kota Manchester di negara Inggris dan sebelumnya aktif
bekerja sebagai penterjemah, kritikus dan jurnalis.
Dalam kehidupan manusia, lingkungan memiliki pengaruh yang kuat
dalam perilaku mereka. Manusia cenderung melakukan keinginan-keinginan,
nafsu dan memuaskannya dengan cara yang tidak bisa diterima oleh masyarakat,
seperti merusak, mencuri dan melakukan kekerasan. Novel tersebut pada intinya
mengambarkan
perbuatan-perbuatan
seseorang
yang
berlawanan
dengan
interpretasi aturan-aturan yang berlaku di masyarakat serta dampak dari
perbuatannya tersebut. Dengan keadaan seperti itu, pemuasan keinginankeinginan tersebut berpengaruh pada dampak dan nilai pada kehidupan orang itu
sendiri.
Analisa dilakukan untuk menemukan tema melalui perilaku dan kebiasaan
tokoh utama dalam melakukan suatu tindakan dengan pendekatan intrinsik.
Dengan demikian pembaca dapat mengetahui pesan yang ingin disampaikan oleh
si pengarang. Dari hasil analisa, saya berkesimpulan bahwa tema dari novel ini
adalah kekerasan dan kebiasaan yang menghancurkan akan membuat seseorang
menjadi menderita dalam hidupnya.
iii
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDICES
SYNOPSIS OF A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
Alex is a boy of 15 years old. He is young and aggressive, and he wants to
create his own world by committing crimes. He lives a normal life like the other kids
of his age but he has destructive behaviour as he likes involving himself in violence.
He and his three-member gang like breaking the law and harming people in the
society. As the leader of his gang, Alex often tells them to spend their nights in the
town creating chaos. They steal cars, fight with other gangs, and break into people’s
houses. Alex even rapes a woman, which causes her to lose her life.
One day Alex has a fight with one of his gang members. This causes his
gang to leave and betray him. The police finally catch him after he breaks into a
lady’s house and torments her until she dies. Alex is sentenced to 14 years
imprisonment. He suffers a lot in jail; he is often tortured by other prisoners as well as
the guards. After spending 2 years in prison, he is willing to receive a treatment in an
experimental rehabilitation program. He is released after the two-week treatment, but
he is disappointed to know that the society cannot accept him after his release. They
still think that he is a bad person. Furthermore, Alex feels sad for his parents are not
ready to accept him back in the family; therefore, he decides to leave his family and
21
Maranatha Christian University
never go back to his parents’ house. When Alex wanders alone in the street, he meets
the gang members who have been beaten by his gang before. They take their chance
to revenge on him and beat him up. Then the police come and separate them. It turns
out that the police are Alex’s former gang members. Realizing this, the police do not
help him but hit him again and again. The hitting is in revenge for Alex’s bad
behaviour towards them. After being beaten black and blue, Alex is dying. Walking
slowly in the rain, he finds a big house nearby and asks for help. The owner of the
house helps him but later he realizes that Alex is the boy who has broken into his
house and raped his wife. The man tries to take a revenge on him. Knowing the fact,
Alex feels desperate. He tries to commit suicide by jumping from the building.
Nevertheless, Alex’s attempt fails and then he is taken to hospital and he gets
treatment for his mental state.
Hearing that Alex is taken to hospital, his parents get worried and come to
the hospital to visit him. They can see how much Alex has suffered and then they
forgive each other. Finally, Alex can go on with his life, realizing his mistakes. He
tries to lead a better life in the future.
BIOGRAPHY OF ANTHONY BURGESS
Jon Anthony Burgess Wilson, who was also called Joseph Kell, was born
in Manchester, England on 25 February 1917 to a Catholic family of Irish and
Scottish ancestry. Burgess studied at Xaverian College and Manchester University,
where he studied English language and literature, and he graduated in 1940.
Burgess was a prolific writer. He had produced over fifty books and
hundreds of journalistic pieces. He was an English novelist, a composer, and a critic.
22
Maranatha Christian University
Burgess had also written several biographies. Among his works are The Wanting
Seed (1962), Honey for the Bears (1963) and Man of Nazareth (1979). The author's
first love was music; he composed a number of works before publishing his first
books. One of Burgess' best-known novels is A Clockwork Orange (1962).
Burgess was diagnosed with having a cerebral tumor and he was told to
have twelve months to live. Under the early death sentence, Burgess feverishly wrote
novels. However, the doctor's diagnosis proved wrong and the author lived another 33
years. He went on writing at least one book a year and he produced hundreds of book
reviews until his death in 1993.
23
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The reason I choose a novel to analyse in my thesis is because this literary
work is interesting and easy to understand. The characters, the events, the plot or the
settings in a novel are usually described clearer than in the other forms of literature.
Most of all, the moral message conveyed in a novel can be comprehended easily and
more deeply because of the details given in a novel.
I am eager to analyse a best-selling novel entitled A Clockwork Orange. It
is written by Anthony Burgess, an English novelist. Anthony Burgess has written A
Clockwork Orange in ‘slang’ and in an uncommon language which he creates and he
calls ‘nadsat’ – the language used by the younger generation. This makes the novel
difficult to understand; still, it is enjoyable to read the novel. The novel describes the
life of a young boy called Alex who has destructive behaviour. On viewing Alex’s
behaviour, I become aware that violence will only cause self-destruction. Moreover, I
believe that the society will condemn any kinds of acts of violence. As a result, it is
hard for someone who has been involved in crimes or violence to have a normal life
1
Maranatha Christian University
for he is always judged as a criminal or a bad person by the society. This will lead him
to suffer in his life.
Anthony Burgess is considered as one of the talented English writers. In his
life he had produced many literary works. Burgess liked travelling and he spent most
of his life visiting many different countries. Therefore, his works were influenced by
his experiences in the countries he had visited, for example the Malayan trilogy The
Long Day Wanes, and after he visited Brunei, he produced Devil of a State. Burgess
mostly wrote about crime, love, marriage, homosexuality and pornography as the main
subjects of his works.
I would like to analyse theme in my thesis. Theme is one of the major
aspects in literature. Theme plays an important role in a literary work for it conveys the
author’s purpose in writing the literary work. Theme is ‘the purpose of the story’
(Laurence Perrine 106). Without knowing the theme of a literary work, the readers will
never understand the meaning of the work; consequently, the messages which the
author wants to tell the readers may not be successfully delivered to them. In reading a
literary art work, the readers must pay attention to all the details of the story such as
the plot, the characters and the settings because all of them are presented to help build
the theme of the literary work. In Perrine’s Story and Structure theme is defined as ‘the
central and unifying concept of the story. Therefore, it must account for all the major
details of the story’ (108).
I find the theme of A Clockwork Orange is clearly revealed through the
protagonist of the novel. Furthermore, it is closely related to the view of crime. I would
like to analyse the theme of the novel through the protagonist’s speech and actions.
Although Burgess presents the protagonist of the novel as a bad boy who always
2
Maranatha Christian University
breaks the law, the readers will finally sympathize with him. Seeing the fact that the
protagonist has to suffer a lot in his life, the readers can understand his feelings and
thoughts deeply. Burgess has created such a good novel that it is worth analysing the
book.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
I want to formulate the statements of the problems as follows:
1. What is the theme of Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange?
2. How does the protagonist helps reveal the theme of the novel?
3. What moral values are found in this novel?
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purposes of the study are based on the above problems:
1. To show the theme of Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange.
2. To show how the protagonist help reveal the theme of the novel.
3. To show the moral values found in this novel.
METHOD OF RESEARCH
The method of research used is library research. I start my research by
reading the primary text A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. I continue by
reading some reference books and works of critics which can be used to support the
research. I also gather some information from the Internet. Then I choose the important
data which have been gathered and I use them to help me complete my research.
3
Maranatha Christian University
ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS
I present this thesis in three Chapters, preceded by Acknowledgments, the
Table of Contents and the Abstract. Chapter One is the Introduction, containing the
Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the
Method of Research and the Organization of the Thesis. In Chapter Two, I present the
Analysis of Theme through the Protagonist in Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange.
Then in Chapter Three I write the Conclusion of what I have discussed in Chapter
Two. This thesis ends with the Bibliography and the Appendices, in which I present
the Synopsis of A Clockwork Orange and the Biography of Anthony Burgess.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
Having analysed Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange, I conclude that
Burgess has successfully presented the theme of the novel. Through Alex, the
protagonist of the novel, Burgess vividly describes the unruly and rebellious teenager
who likes committing crimes just for enjoyment. Furthermore, Burgess gives a clear
picture of Alex’s unending suffering. Alex’s speech and actions are mostly used to
support the theme of the novel.
I find that the novel has a very clear theme: “Committing violence and
behaving destructively will only lead one to suffer in his life”. The main problem
presented in the novel is Alex’s enjoyment of committing crimes. He finds
amusement in behaving destructively. What’s more, Alex does not realize that he will
have to suffer the consequences of his acts of violence. Later, however, Alex is
punished for his criminal acts and the punishments fit his crimes for he really suffers
in his life.
In analysing the theme of the novel, I see that Alex, who represents the
teenagers of his age, tends to choose to do illegal activities. He does not obey the law
and he shows no respect for the people around him. He finds committing violence and
behaving destructively true enjoyment; in addition, by committing crimes he wants to
17
Maranatha Christian University
be regarded as a hero among his friends. Moreover, he enjoys vandalism. Alex likes
to find amusement at night. Together with his gang members and without any special
reasons, Alex commits violence. Alex even rapes a writer’s wife, which causes her to
lose her life. Alex is finally caught by the police after he breaks into an old lady’s
house and murders her. He is sentenced to 14 years imprisonment. Then Alex has to
pay for his wickedness. He gets his punishments from the government and the society.
In prison Alex suffers a lot because he often gets the constant beatings from the prison
guards and his inmates. Alex cannot stand being in prison; therefore, Alex decides to
take an experimental rehabilitation program which is called Ludovico’s Technique. It
turns out that Alex has to undergo more suffering. He is forced to watch movies
showing the cruelty of the Nazi and the Japanese torture. Through this program Alex
is forced to be unable to commit violence for every time he thinks about it, he will
feel sick and nausea. This program really makes him suffer. After he is released from
prison, he is also punished by the society. He faces a lot of problems with his parents
and the society. They cannot accept him back and this causes him to suffer hardship.
Unable to endure more suffering, he thinks of suicide. His acts of violence finally lead
him to suffer physically and mentally.
Through the novel, it is clear that Burgess wants to tell the readers that one
must be responsible for his actions. If he acts badly, he has to suffer the consequences
of his actions. The readers can see that after getting the punishments, Alex can
appreciate his life better. Alex finally realizes that as a teenager, he must obey the
law. It is not right to harm people or break the law. Alex learns that his destructive
behaviour and illegal acts lead him to suffer in his life. What’s more, the people
18
Maranatha Christian University
around him cannot accept him and they hate him. Most of them try to revenge on him.
These are the punishments he gets for his crime.
Burgess is successful in revealing his message through this novel so that
the readers can get the moral lessons from the story. I can learn that most teenagers
have unruly and rebellious characteristics; however, they have to be able to control
their emotion, behaviour and desire to commit crimes. They live in a society and they
have to respect other people’s rights. In addition, teenagers should adhere to the law
and the regulations. What’s more, it is important for them to believe in God and fear
Him so that they can understand the difference between ‘good’ or ‘evil’. Through this
novel, I also find that it is difficult for a person to change from ‘bad’ to ‘good’
because the society cannot accept a bad person even though he has already repented
of what he has done. They expect to punish him in their own way. Therefore, it is true
that committing crime and behaving destructively will only lead one to suffer in his
life.
Anthony Burgess writes A Clockwork Orange in the first person point of
view and Alex is the narrator of the story. The readers know all the events through his
perspective. That is why Alex’s speech is mostly used to reveal the theme of the
novel. Burgess is very skilful in creating the story in the novel. When starting reading
the novel, the readers will feel unsympathetic towards Alex because he is portrayed as
a wicked, unruly and cruel teenager. As the story goes on, however, Alex vividly
describes his feelings and tells the readers about his suffering. This makes the readers
sympathize with him. The readers will finally understand and feel pity on him through
his unending suffering. Burgess has created such an interesting story that it is worthwhile reading and analysing the novel.
19
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
References
Murphy, M. J. Understanding Unseen. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1972.
Perrine, Laurence. Story and Structure. New York: Harcourt Bruce and Jovanovich
Company, 1959.
Shaw, Harry. Dictionary of Literary Terms. New York: McGraw – Hill, Inc., 1972.
Internet Websites
Wikipedia.com: Anthony Burgess. 2007. 26 August 2007
.
Anthony Burgess.com: Anthony Burgess. Sant Jordi. 2007. 26 August 2007
.
Heroeswiki.com: A Clockwork Orange. 2007. 28 August 2007
.
Sparknotes.com: Clockwork orange. 2007. 28 August 2007
.
Primary Text
Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange. England: penguin classics, 2000.
20
Maranatha Christian University
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………………………………………………
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS …………………………………………………
ii
ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………………….
iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study …………………………………………...
Statement of the Problem …………………………………………..
Purpose of the Study ………………………………………………..
Method of Research ……………………………………………….
Organization of the Thesis ...………………………………………..
1
3
3
3
4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THEME THROUGH
THE PROTAGONIST IN ANTHONY BURGESS’
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE ………………………
5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION …………………………………... 17
BIBLIOGRAPHY ………………………………………………………...
20
APPENDICES:
Synopsis of A Clockwork Orange ….…………...………………….
Biography of Anthony Burgess...………..………………………….
21
22
ii
Maranatha Christian University
ABSTRACT
Dalam Tugas Akhir ini saya menganalisis sebuah novel berjudul A
Clockwork Orange karya Anthony Burgess, seorang penulis novel terkenal abad
ke-20 yang lahir di kota Manchester di negara Inggris dan sebelumnya aktif
bekerja sebagai penterjemah, kritikus dan jurnalis.
Dalam kehidupan manusia, lingkungan memiliki pengaruh yang kuat
dalam perilaku mereka. Manusia cenderung melakukan keinginan-keinginan,
nafsu dan memuaskannya dengan cara yang tidak bisa diterima oleh masyarakat,
seperti merusak, mencuri dan melakukan kekerasan. Novel tersebut pada intinya
mengambarkan
perbuatan-perbuatan
seseorang
yang
berlawanan
dengan
interpretasi aturan-aturan yang berlaku di masyarakat serta dampak dari
perbuatannya tersebut. Dengan keadaan seperti itu, pemuasan keinginankeinginan tersebut berpengaruh pada dampak dan nilai pada kehidupan orang itu
sendiri.
Analisa dilakukan untuk menemukan tema melalui perilaku dan kebiasaan
tokoh utama dalam melakukan suatu tindakan dengan pendekatan intrinsik.
Dengan demikian pembaca dapat mengetahui pesan yang ingin disampaikan oleh
si pengarang. Dari hasil analisa, saya berkesimpulan bahwa tema dari novel ini
adalah kekerasan dan kebiasaan yang menghancurkan akan membuat seseorang
menjadi menderita dalam hidupnya.
iii
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDICES
SYNOPSIS OF A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
Alex is a boy of 15 years old. He is young and aggressive, and he wants to
create his own world by committing crimes. He lives a normal life like the other kids
of his age but he has destructive behaviour as he likes involving himself in violence.
He and his three-member gang like breaking the law and harming people in the
society. As the leader of his gang, Alex often tells them to spend their nights in the
town creating chaos. They steal cars, fight with other gangs, and break into people’s
houses. Alex even rapes a woman, which causes her to lose her life.
One day Alex has a fight with one of his gang members. This causes his
gang to leave and betray him. The police finally catch him after he breaks into a
lady’s house and torments her until she dies. Alex is sentenced to 14 years
imprisonment. He suffers a lot in jail; he is often tortured by other prisoners as well as
the guards. After spending 2 years in prison, he is willing to receive a treatment in an
experimental rehabilitation program. He is released after the two-week treatment, but
he is disappointed to know that the society cannot accept him after his release. They
still think that he is a bad person. Furthermore, Alex feels sad for his parents are not
ready to accept him back in the family; therefore, he decides to leave his family and
21
Maranatha Christian University
never go back to his parents’ house. When Alex wanders alone in the street, he meets
the gang members who have been beaten by his gang before. They take their chance
to revenge on him and beat him up. Then the police come and separate them. It turns
out that the police are Alex’s former gang members. Realizing this, the police do not
help him but hit him again and again. The hitting is in revenge for Alex’s bad
behaviour towards them. After being beaten black and blue, Alex is dying. Walking
slowly in the rain, he finds a big house nearby and asks for help. The owner of the
house helps him but later he realizes that Alex is the boy who has broken into his
house and raped his wife. The man tries to take a revenge on him. Knowing the fact,
Alex feels desperate. He tries to commit suicide by jumping from the building.
Nevertheless, Alex’s attempt fails and then he is taken to hospital and he gets
treatment for his mental state.
Hearing that Alex is taken to hospital, his parents get worried and come to
the hospital to visit him. They can see how much Alex has suffered and then they
forgive each other. Finally, Alex can go on with his life, realizing his mistakes. He
tries to lead a better life in the future.
BIOGRAPHY OF ANTHONY BURGESS
Jon Anthony Burgess Wilson, who was also called Joseph Kell, was born
in Manchester, England on 25 February 1917 to a Catholic family of Irish and
Scottish ancestry. Burgess studied at Xaverian College and Manchester University,
where he studied English language and literature, and he graduated in 1940.
Burgess was a prolific writer. He had produced over fifty books and
hundreds of journalistic pieces. He was an English novelist, a composer, and a critic.
22
Maranatha Christian University
Burgess had also written several biographies. Among his works are The Wanting
Seed (1962), Honey for the Bears (1963) and Man of Nazareth (1979). The author's
first love was music; he composed a number of works before publishing his first
books. One of Burgess' best-known novels is A Clockwork Orange (1962).
Burgess was diagnosed with having a cerebral tumor and he was told to
have twelve months to live. Under the early death sentence, Burgess feverishly wrote
novels. However, the doctor's diagnosis proved wrong and the author lived another 33
years. He went on writing at least one book a year and he produced hundreds of book
reviews until his death in 1993.
23
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The reason I choose a novel to analyse in my thesis is because this literary
work is interesting and easy to understand. The characters, the events, the plot or the
settings in a novel are usually described clearer than in the other forms of literature.
Most of all, the moral message conveyed in a novel can be comprehended easily and
more deeply because of the details given in a novel.
I am eager to analyse a best-selling novel entitled A Clockwork Orange. It
is written by Anthony Burgess, an English novelist. Anthony Burgess has written A
Clockwork Orange in ‘slang’ and in an uncommon language which he creates and he
calls ‘nadsat’ – the language used by the younger generation. This makes the novel
difficult to understand; still, it is enjoyable to read the novel. The novel describes the
life of a young boy called Alex who has destructive behaviour. On viewing Alex’s
behaviour, I become aware that violence will only cause self-destruction. Moreover, I
believe that the society will condemn any kinds of acts of violence. As a result, it is
hard for someone who has been involved in crimes or violence to have a normal life
1
Maranatha Christian University
for he is always judged as a criminal or a bad person by the society. This will lead him
to suffer in his life.
Anthony Burgess is considered as one of the talented English writers. In his
life he had produced many literary works. Burgess liked travelling and he spent most
of his life visiting many different countries. Therefore, his works were influenced by
his experiences in the countries he had visited, for example the Malayan trilogy The
Long Day Wanes, and after he visited Brunei, he produced Devil of a State. Burgess
mostly wrote about crime, love, marriage, homosexuality and pornography as the main
subjects of his works.
I would like to analyse theme in my thesis. Theme is one of the major
aspects in literature. Theme plays an important role in a literary work for it conveys the
author’s purpose in writing the literary work. Theme is ‘the purpose of the story’
(Laurence Perrine 106). Without knowing the theme of a literary work, the readers will
never understand the meaning of the work; consequently, the messages which the
author wants to tell the readers may not be successfully delivered to them. In reading a
literary art work, the readers must pay attention to all the details of the story such as
the plot, the characters and the settings because all of them are presented to help build
the theme of the literary work. In Perrine’s Story and Structure theme is defined as ‘the
central and unifying concept of the story. Therefore, it must account for all the major
details of the story’ (108).
I find the theme of A Clockwork Orange is clearly revealed through the
protagonist of the novel. Furthermore, it is closely related to the view of crime. I would
like to analyse the theme of the novel through the protagonist’s speech and actions.
Although Burgess presents the protagonist of the novel as a bad boy who always
2
Maranatha Christian University
breaks the law, the readers will finally sympathize with him. Seeing the fact that the
protagonist has to suffer a lot in his life, the readers can understand his feelings and
thoughts deeply. Burgess has created such a good novel that it is worth analysing the
book.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
I want to formulate the statements of the problems as follows:
1. What is the theme of Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange?
2. How does the protagonist helps reveal the theme of the novel?
3. What moral values are found in this novel?
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purposes of the study are based on the above problems:
1. To show the theme of Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange.
2. To show how the protagonist help reveal the theme of the novel.
3. To show the moral values found in this novel.
METHOD OF RESEARCH
The method of research used is library research. I start my research by
reading the primary text A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. I continue by
reading some reference books and works of critics which can be used to support the
research. I also gather some information from the Internet. Then I choose the important
data which have been gathered and I use them to help me complete my research.
3
Maranatha Christian University
ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS
I present this thesis in three Chapters, preceded by Acknowledgments, the
Table of Contents and the Abstract. Chapter One is the Introduction, containing the
Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the
Method of Research and the Organization of the Thesis. In Chapter Two, I present the
Analysis of Theme through the Protagonist in Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange.
Then in Chapter Three I write the Conclusion of what I have discussed in Chapter
Two. This thesis ends with the Bibliography and the Appendices, in which I present
the Synopsis of A Clockwork Orange and the Biography of Anthony Burgess.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
Having analysed Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange, I conclude that
Burgess has successfully presented the theme of the novel. Through Alex, the
protagonist of the novel, Burgess vividly describes the unruly and rebellious teenager
who likes committing crimes just for enjoyment. Furthermore, Burgess gives a clear
picture of Alex’s unending suffering. Alex’s speech and actions are mostly used to
support the theme of the novel.
I find that the novel has a very clear theme: “Committing violence and
behaving destructively will only lead one to suffer in his life”. The main problem
presented in the novel is Alex’s enjoyment of committing crimes. He finds
amusement in behaving destructively. What’s more, Alex does not realize that he will
have to suffer the consequences of his acts of violence. Later, however, Alex is
punished for his criminal acts and the punishments fit his crimes for he really suffers
in his life.
In analysing the theme of the novel, I see that Alex, who represents the
teenagers of his age, tends to choose to do illegal activities. He does not obey the law
and he shows no respect for the people around him. He finds committing violence and
behaving destructively true enjoyment; in addition, by committing crimes he wants to
17
Maranatha Christian University
be regarded as a hero among his friends. Moreover, he enjoys vandalism. Alex likes
to find amusement at night. Together with his gang members and without any special
reasons, Alex commits violence. Alex even rapes a writer’s wife, which causes her to
lose her life. Alex is finally caught by the police after he breaks into an old lady’s
house and murders her. He is sentenced to 14 years imprisonment. Then Alex has to
pay for his wickedness. He gets his punishments from the government and the society.
In prison Alex suffers a lot because he often gets the constant beatings from the prison
guards and his inmates. Alex cannot stand being in prison; therefore, Alex decides to
take an experimental rehabilitation program which is called Ludovico’s Technique. It
turns out that Alex has to undergo more suffering. He is forced to watch movies
showing the cruelty of the Nazi and the Japanese torture. Through this program Alex
is forced to be unable to commit violence for every time he thinks about it, he will
feel sick and nausea. This program really makes him suffer. After he is released from
prison, he is also punished by the society. He faces a lot of problems with his parents
and the society. They cannot accept him back and this causes him to suffer hardship.
Unable to endure more suffering, he thinks of suicide. His acts of violence finally lead
him to suffer physically and mentally.
Through the novel, it is clear that Burgess wants to tell the readers that one
must be responsible for his actions. If he acts badly, he has to suffer the consequences
of his actions. The readers can see that after getting the punishments, Alex can
appreciate his life better. Alex finally realizes that as a teenager, he must obey the
law. It is not right to harm people or break the law. Alex learns that his destructive
behaviour and illegal acts lead him to suffer in his life. What’s more, the people
18
Maranatha Christian University
around him cannot accept him and they hate him. Most of them try to revenge on him.
These are the punishments he gets for his crime.
Burgess is successful in revealing his message through this novel so that
the readers can get the moral lessons from the story. I can learn that most teenagers
have unruly and rebellious characteristics; however, they have to be able to control
their emotion, behaviour and desire to commit crimes. They live in a society and they
have to respect other people’s rights. In addition, teenagers should adhere to the law
and the regulations. What’s more, it is important for them to believe in God and fear
Him so that they can understand the difference between ‘good’ or ‘evil’. Through this
novel, I also find that it is difficult for a person to change from ‘bad’ to ‘good’
because the society cannot accept a bad person even though he has already repented
of what he has done. They expect to punish him in their own way. Therefore, it is true
that committing crime and behaving destructively will only lead one to suffer in his
life.
Anthony Burgess writes A Clockwork Orange in the first person point of
view and Alex is the narrator of the story. The readers know all the events through his
perspective. That is why Alex’s speech is mostly used to reveal the theme of the
novel. Burgess is very skilful in creating the story in the novel. When starting reading
the novel, the readers will feel unsympathetic towards Alex because he is portrayed as
a wicked, unruly and cruel teenager. As the story goes on, however, Alex vividly
describes his feelings and tells the readers about his suffering. This makes the readers
sympathize with him. The readers will finally understand and feel pity on him through
his unending suffering. Burgess has created such an interesting story that it is worthwhile reading and analysing the novel.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
References
Murphy, M. J. Understanding Unseen. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1972.
Perrine, Laurence. Story and Structure. New York: Harcourt Bruce and Jovanovich
Company, 1959.
Shaw, Harry. Dictionary of Literary Terms. New York: McGraw – Hill, Inc., 1972.
Internet Websites
Wikipedia.com: Anthony Burgess. 2007. 26 August 2007
.
Anthony Burgess.com: Anthony Burgess. Sant Jordi. 2007. 26 August 2007
.
Heroeswiki.com: A Clockwork Orange. 2007. 28 August 2007
.
Sparknotes.com: Clockwork orange. 2007. 28 August 2007
.
Primary Text
Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange. England: penguin classics, 2000.
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