Why do you like a clockwork orange

Like Dr. The first critic to land anything resembling a body blow against A Clockwork Orange was Pauline Kael. Strangelove , which she perceived as a virtuoso exercise in hip, flip cynicism, and less a cautionary satire about Cold War politics than a nihilistic embrace of an apocalypse-now mentality. At times A Clockwork Orange plays like a critique of control-freakery made by a control freak. Those other characters are either depicted as ciphers or, worse, embodiments of petty-bourgeois ugliness who seem to invite or even deserve their own defilement.

This is not necessarily an open-and-cut case of directorial sadism, however. Take, for instance, the hilariously insinuating montage in which McDowell returns home after an evening of debauchery and masturbates to the strains of Beethoven in full view of the Christ figurines on his mantelpiece. One question raised by such virtuoso filmmaking and by a style that keeps calling attention to itself, whether in the form of sped-up footage or slowed-down pacing, is whether Kubrick is jerking off as well, or at least getting off on being the auteur equivalent of a bad boy.

Starting with Dr. In somewhat the same way, Alex turns into a wide eyed child at the end of "A Clockwork Orange," and smiles mischievously as he has a fantasy of rape. We're now supposed to cheer because he's been cured of the anti-rape, anti-violence programming forced upon him by society during a prison "rehabilitation" process. What in hell is Kubrick up to here? Does he really want us to identify with the antisocial tilt of Alex's psychopathic little life?

In a world where society is criminal, of course, a good man must live outside the law. But that isn't what Kubrick is saying, He actually seems to be implying something simpler and more frightening: that in a world where society is criminal, the citizen might as well be a criminal, too. Well, enough philosophy. We'll probably be debating "A Clockwork Orange" for a long time -- a long, weary and pointless time. The New York critical establishment has guaranteed that for us. They missed the boat on "," so maybe they were trying to catch up with Kubrick on this one.

Or maybe the news weeklies just needed a good movie cover story for Christmas. I don't know. But they've really hyped "A Clockwork Orange" for more than it's worth, and a lot of people will go if only out of curiosity. Too bad. In addition to the things I've mentioned above -- things I really got mad about -- "A Clockwork Orange" commits another, perhaps even more unforgivable, artistic sin. It is just plain talky and boring. You know there's something wrong with a movie when the last third feels like the last half.

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from until his death in In , he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Michael Gover as Prison Governor. Michael Bates as Chief Guard. Malcolm McDowell as Alex. Miriam Karlin as Catlady. Patrick Magee as Mr. Anthony Sharp as Minister. Madge Ryan as Mum. The prison chaplain's pleas for free choice tend to exemplify the theme of the book. In any case, the Wakesque language that Alex employs, while not entirely opaque, takes a little getting used to, but I found it did not take away from the powerful emotions that the text invokes.

I also suppose that many of us who are anti-Trump fear this kind of proto-fascist dystopian state which in some ways is a cousin to that of Atwood's Handmaiden's Tale and this is what will make reading this book really resonate. Read at your own risk O my brothers. View all 12 comments. I once had a truly lovely roommate. I may be a cynic, but it really struck me like a ton of bricks one evening, when she was looking at my bookcase after asking if she could borrow something to read.

I did not bother trying to explain that the concept of free will is about much more than just the violent acts committed by the anti-hero Alex: we use free will every day and the point of the book is to get us to think about what it would mean if that capacity to choose was taken away.

And I must say, it is not as violent as some people make it sound: most horror novels contain much more disgusting violence than what is in the pages of this book. And furthermore, Burgess never condones any of the acts committed by Alex and his droogs. That being said, few horror novels manage to be as disturbing as this tiny novella; not because of the violence, but because of the ideas. Some spoilers ahead. Their pain, their suffering, their feelings, none of that matters to him.

He wants his thrills, whether those are sexual or from getting into a good fight. Because goodness cannot be imposed on anyone, it always remains a choice.

Because ultimately, Dr. He wants to cut down crime, not make people better. When Alex is freed again, attacked and incapable of defending himself, some readers would probably cheer because he finally gets what he deserves. But I see a more subtle point being made.

I find both endings equally fascinating. In either case he is cured, but what exactly is he cured of? I love this ambiguity. The linguistic tour de force accomplished by Burgess — while irritating at first, until your brain begins to recognize the patterns and cadence — is impressive enough to make it worth the read, regardless of how you feel about the moral dilemma contained within the pages.

Russian, Shakespearean turns of phrase and Cockney slang actually blend beautifully, and the Nadsat words are used perfunctorily enough that when you read a sentence in context, you can quickly figure out what every word means. But once you get past the Nadsat hurdle, so to speak, you start understanding the genius of its use: it gives such a rich texture to the text, it puts words on images and feelings that are impossible to associate to a regular English word. It scares me but I also enjoy it very much.

And obviously, I also strongly recommend the wonderful Kubrick movie. View all 40 comments. I found the story of your roommate super i I know exactly what you mean: I still love that girl very much, but it feels dangerously lazy not to broaden one's thinking, especially in regards to topics like free will. I hope you like the book! Shankar There are many books with the lead characters who take it on themselves to torture others almost as a life mission There are many books with the lead characters who take it on themselves to torture others almost as a life mission Huxley, Orwell and Atwood all saw our ordeal coming, and they created the mood and terror for our era long before we could follow their tracks in the daily news spit out in vicious bits and pieces.

Recently a retired teac "It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you watch them on a screen. Recently a retired teacher said to me that nobody could have predicted the generation of students we have to deal with today, who float above and beyond the rules that we try to convey to them: be it orthography, vocabulary, democratic processes, newsworthiness of information, priorities for action and life planning or just fundamental rules of polite communication between human beings of equal dignity - they pick and choose what suits them and laugh in our faces if we suggest there is a common agreement on any kind of behaviour.

For every example we offer, they find a counterargument within a click-second on the phone, and the question of ethical guidelines morphs into whether or not we have the right to make any choices at all for these adolescents that they don't feel like agreeing to themselves, based on their current predilections.

And I heard myself replying to the older colleague that Anthony Burgess saw it coming in the 60s, and that the question was as hard to answer back then as it is now. Can we actually FORCE students to embrace democracy if they are naturally drawn to charismatic populists?

Can we TEACH them critical thinking skills without the imperative and normative value system that turns them into clockwork oranges rather than human beings with a free will and a free choice? How do human beings compete with their own technological achievements, namely the universal attractiveness of instant internet gratification? How do human beings make choices in a society that offers everything at all hours?

That is as difficult to handle as the complete choicelessness that is its opposite - but it is much more time-consuming! How do we deal with a generation that sets its own rules based on their idea of negotiable values, communicated in a shorthand pigeon language suitable for quick typing on small screens?

Just by the fact that we as teachers are representing a hierarchy we make ourselves impossible in the eyes of a youth whose only wish is to be free, to destroy in order to rise as Phoenix from the ashes. Who does not remember at some point thinking after a lecture of some kind, coming from a place of power: "And I thought to myself, Hell and blast you all, if all you bastards are on the side of Good then I'm glad I belong to the other shop.

The answer my friend, is vital to the survival of our species at this point View all 22 comments. May 19, J. It comes very easily once you begin reading, and adds to the experience. Besides recommending this book, I do have a final thought concerning chapter 21, the chapter which was left out of the published American edition of the novel as well as the iconic film by Stanley Kubrick.

Rather, forcing this to happen in one chapter cheapens it and makes it feel like an afterthought. It also falls flat. Otherwise, though, I found A Clockwork Orange an incredibly well-crafted and engaging story. View all 8 comments. A favourite of my late teens, still a favourite now. The brutality of male blooming and the private patois of our teenhood. Goddamn Shakespearean! This book is musical! This book sings, swings, cries A favourite of my late teens, still a favourite now.

This book sings, swings, cries and rages! Oh this book, this book! My first encounter with unbridled creativity, intelligence, elegance, thematic unity, this book made me weep for the future of poor sadistic Alex. Oh, he must grow up, he must! This book, this book! Oh my droogies, oh my Bog. View all 27 comments. First time round I didn't really think that much of this. For three main reasons. Despite this being something of an 'essential' read before you hit adulthood I wasn't much of a reader then.

Maybe two or three books a year. What did I know? I hadn't seen the film this time around it made a massive difference having Kubrick's visionary masterpiece swirling around in my head.

I read a tatty old 70s copy of the novel that looked like it had crawled through a warzone before hiding in someo First time round I didn't really think that much of this. I read a tatty old 70s copy of the novel that looked like it had crawled through a warzone before hiding in someone's underpants for the next 25 years.

Discolored pages. Tiny faded text. Suspicious stains. Just not very nice. Now this mint condition and ever so striking 50th anniversary edition found it's way to me - and it's the Dog's Bollocks! It really is. It's the sort of book that I want keep on my bookshelf with the cover facing outwards and not the spine.

You know, like they sometimes do in the bookshops to draw your attention. The novel itself is without question a work of staggering originality. Damn right addictive. I even couldn't help but read this with a glass of milk or two. And in Alex we have one of the 20th century's most memorable narrators. That slang language - a masterstoke!

Basically a way to stand out from others, which creates a stark contrast between the different speech and mind-set of the adults. Not going to lie - this isn't the easiest of reads, as there is a lot of horrible and nasty goings on here, but it has to be noted that this isn't violence for just for sake of violence. If I wanted that then I'd watch the latest Rambo or something.

Moreover, it was seriously disturbing to read of how their wickedness was simply born out of the common feelings of teenage boredom. Burgess is no fool, and he raises some very important ethical questions that didn't hit me before, such as whether it is better for a person to decide to be bad than to be forced to be good, and whether forcibly suppressing free will is acceptable. I'd say the conditioning methods the so called 'Ludovico technique' in trying to cure Alex, was just as shocking to read as the brutal violence he and his droogs dished out.

Looks like there is some great additional material included in this version, but I haven't got to it yet. For the novel alone it's got to be a five for me. Maybe the fact that I'm now fully distanced by nearly three decades from the youth here made it a better book for me?

I don't know. Anyway, I'm just glad it came along again and blew me away. View all 32 comments. Let's begin with the Penguin book cover Too cool for words! I'm not one bit scared of you, my boyos, because I'm too drunk to feel the pain if you hit me and if Let's begin with the Penguin book cover View all 17 comments.

The American Review : At times, I find beauty in dissonance. Take, for example, my eclectic music collection. I have my share of soothing music: new age , quiet electronica , and so forth. I have some popular mainstream music, mostly from the '80s. Some funk , some reggae , ska , a bit of trance and techno. Yes, there's the heavy metal , punk , classic rock from my youth, and even a little progressive death metal. And, amongst it all, a good dose of 20th century classical pieces by such composers as Geor The American Review : At times, I find beauty in dissonance.

And, amongst it all, a good dose of 20th century classical pieces by such composers as George Crumb , Arvo Part , and Krzyzstof Penderecki played by several performers, including my favorite, the renowned Kronos Quartet. Now, I don't revel in atonal music all the time. I'm careful to do this when the wife and kids aren't around. The kids can take everything but the modern classical stuff. And my wife, well, she's no metalhead, let's put it that way, but she is a fantastic piano player.

So why? I often ask myself, do I glory, at times, in the inglorious? Well, I have no good answer, save for the need is there. Sure, I had my share of dalliances as a 15 year old, but rape and brutal beatings of the elderly were not on my list of things to do, much less murder.

I can count on one hand the number of actual fights I was in. Still, I can relate to the devil-may-care attitude, or at least I could have related, as a teenager.

I probably shouldn't say this, but while I could never find myself doing the things he does, I could, as an American teenager living in England back in the '80s, find myself feeling the way he feels. I do remember. It reminds me of a younger age. Not that I want to go back and do it over again. I don't. But occasionally I've an urge to. Thankfully, all it takes is the right music or the right book and I'm set straight again. Whatever the cause for my itch, Burgess has scratched it with A Clockwork Orange.

Alex, along with many other teenagers, rule the night in what may or may not be a socialist police state. The language of the novel is also dissonant. At first, I found myself flipping back and forth from the text to the glossary in the back. After a chapter, though, I fell into the rhythm and found myself rather enjoying the strangeness of it all. In fact, once you've "got the rhythm," it's a little hard to let go.

The voice of the novel lingers in the reader's head long after the book is closed. I found myself dreaming, at times, in nadsat. You can take the man out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the man. The British Review :. Then there's the narrator himself. He's a lover of classical music, but a thug to the utmost. There is a certain inevitability to the track of life, an inescapable softening that cannot be averted.

Fight against it, if you want, or give in. Life doesn't much care. But does that mean you shouldn't? Coda : And here I come full-circle. Internal dissonance is a part of me. That doesn't mean I embrace it all of the time. But I don't entirely shut it out, either. One might say I flip-flop between the American and the British ending. So, for me, reading A Clockwork Orange was more than just a reading. It was an exploration of what it means to be me, both the beautiful and the ugly, the sacred and the sinister, the tame and the wild.

I can't say whether I like the American ending or the British ending better, though I'm glad I read them both.

They are two sides of the same coin, a coin that, for me, continually flips through my psyche, flashing through the years, never really landing: heads or tails? Addendum : Who says that Nadsat can't be playful?

I recently found this Nadsat version of "The Jabberwocky"! This may be one of the most brilliant literary crossovers I've ever read! View all 25 comments. This book was real horrorshow, O my brothers. I suggest that all vecks should viddy it if they have a chance. View all 5 comments. I was ready to be tolchocked in my litso, to have my mozg pried out of my gulliver, to feel that sickening drop in the yarbles when falling from a great tower block; I expected to be preached to by that nadmenny veck A.

Burgess in all his high goloss; I expected to loathe Alex and all his malenky malchick droogs. But 'What's it going to be then, eh? But by Bog or God I got something much more horrorshow. I actually enjoyed A. Burgess's nadsat burble. I found veshches -- like all the ultra violence and razrezzing and oobivatting and twisted radosty -- to be oomily delivered.

I ponied where little Alex was coming from and raged against the millicents and infintmins and prestoopniks and bolnoy sophistos that were arrayed against him. I actually guffed and smecked at like many veshches. But I nearly platched at how malenky little Alex saw the error of his ways and looked forward to a life of chai and a zheena and malenky vecks of his own. But once I viddied the story like once I wanted rookerfuls, and I've returned again and again, both to A.

Burgess's book and S. Kubrick's sinny. A Clockwork Orange is one of the five or six true greats ever govoreeted. The nadsat isn't at all gimmicky. The lomticks of philosophy are compelling and grow in relevance with the passing of raz.

And I for one, oh my brothers, will always "remember the little Alex that was. And all that cal. I read this as part of a reading challenge. I've never seen the movie either, and now that I've read it, I don't think I want to.

This is what it would take to make me watch a movie that includes this as a scene. It's really hard to review this book because it has been studied, picked apart, and written about for years and years.

So, I'm going to approach it as I would any book: what an average American shlub thinks about it. No scholarly dissertation, no thesis, no talking about the symbolism.

Ju I read this as part of a reading challenge. Just how it made me feel. The biggest thing about this book is the fact that it is harder than hell to read. It's like decoding hieroglyphics. The language is some sort of made-up slang that will annoy the crap out of you when you start the book.

And, this slang language is ridiculous. Many of the words are silly sounding and rhyming. It is supposed to be an off-shoot of Cockney Rhyming Slang. You may just want to shoot yourself in the head after a few pages.

It's like Dr. Seuss broke bad or something. Seriously annoying. The next big thing is the senseless, brutal violence in this story. There is killing, raping, and torture. It's horrible stuff. In this case, the stupid language actually helps because the words used for everything takes you a step-back from the violence.

The torture of our narrator was really the most important part of the story. Everything the book is saying comes down to whether the torture was a good thing or bad thing.

This is why so much has been written about a book that calls eggs "eggiwegs". It had better be deep if one is willing to slosh through that much annoyingness. It's like running through a Lego gauntlet.

There had better be something good at the end. The version I read of this book included an extra chapter that was originally edited out of the American version of it. When I noted where it would have cut-off, I actually thought it would have been a much better story if it ended there.

I guess that means the editor understood us Americans. But, in the forward that was written by the author, he whines and bitches about the editing. He actually whined and bitched about a lot of things.