The importance of evil as well as good in human nature is a fundamental theme of A Clockwork Orange. Alex is despicable because he gives free rein to his violent impulses, but that sense of freedom is also what makes him human. Unlike so many of the adult characters in the film, he, at least, seems exuberantly alive.
What is the underlying message of A Clockwork Orange?
The main message of 'A Clockwork Orange,' a novel by Anthony Burgess, explores the themes of free will, the nature of evil, and the possibility of redemption. It raises questions about whether it is better for a person to choose to be bad than to be forced to be good.
In making Alex—a criminal guilty of violence, rape, and theft—the hero of the novel, Burgess argues that humanity must, at all costs, insist that individuals be allowed to make their own moral choices, even if that freedom results in depravity.
In a prefatory note to A Clockwork Orange: A Play with Music, he wrote that the title was a metaphor for "an organic entity, full of juice and sweetness and agreeable odour, being turned into a mechanism".
Milk. As a substance that primarily nourishes young animals, milk symbolizes the immaturity and passivity of the people who habitually drink it at the Korova Milkbar. Their drinking of milk suggests the infantilization and subsequent helplessness of the State's citizens.
There are three types of Moloko plus served within the Milk Bar; vellocet (mixed with most likely amphetamines), synthemesc (mixed with synthetic mescaline) and drencrom (mixed with adrenochrome and possibly unnamed hallucinogens).
His beverage of choice is milk spiked with various drugs, which he and his fellow gang members ("droogs") drink to fortify themselves for "ultraviolence".
Why is A Clockwork Orange considered a masterpiece?
Linguistically inventive, socially prophetic, and philosophically profound, it comes very close to being a work of genius. The story, set in the England of the near future (the book was published in 1962), is simple.
Unfortunately, it can be a difficult read, especially the first few chapters, as much of the book is narrated in the fictional argot known as Nadsat (the "teenage" language). Read on to better comprehend this “subliminal penetration,“ which will consequently allow you to enjoy the book much more.
He's cured because he's no longer averse to the very things that had him subjected to the Ludovico treatment in the first place, but the state couldn't care less. For the government, he's allowed to revert to type because it's been proven he can reintegrate into society to a certain extent.
What did Alex do to the girls in A Clockwork Orange?
Alex takes them back to his place, where he gets the girls very drunk, injects himself with a drug, and then rapes them to the choral movement of Beethoven's Ninth (the “Ode To Joy”). The girls leave in hysterics as Alex dozes off to the symphony recording.
Alex is 15 years old by the beginning of the book and 18 by the end of it. However, to minimize controversy and to avoid hiring a teen actor to play a heinous character, Alex's age started from 17 and ended at 20 in the film.
Alex DeLarge displays all the hallmarks of antisocial personality disorder, though being younger than 18 he would be diagnosed with conduct disorder. He also is far more of a psychopath than a sociopath.
What is the quote about milk in A Clockwork Orange?
"The Korova milkbar sold milk-plus, milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultraviolence."
In 1962, two versions of Anthony Burgess's novel A Clockwork Orange were published. One concludes with Alex growing up and turning away from violence, while the second, darker version leaves out that final chapter. Kubrick based his film on this second version.
After Alex's arrest Dim stays with Georgie and Pete, until Georgie's death. Dim becomes a police officer a some time between Georgie's death and Alex's release, eventually being called; along with Billyboy who had also become an officer, to break up a fight and without knowing saving Alex.
Nadsat, from the Russian word meaning 'teen', is the name of the invented slang in which Alex narrates the novel. Anthony Burgess decided to use Russian because he had learned the basics of the language before visiting Leningrad in 1961.
To assert his dominance as leader of “the Droogs”, Alex takes their white boiler suit uniform a step further by rimming one menacing eye with fluttery eyelashes. The look is almost clown-like, but abhorrently pretty, making his twisted animalistic faces when killing even more disturbing.
There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening. The Korova milkbar sold milk-plus, milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking.
His actions are inherently evil, but his love of life, even an evil life, keeps him from being simply a monster. Despite being a rapist and murderer, Alex has a strangely innocent, schoolboylike charm.
One night, Alex and his droogs break into the cottage, beat up F. Alexander, and rape his wife. F. Alexander's wife later dies from the injuries she sustained during the assault.
“I was cured all right,” which ends both the American version of the book and the Kubrick film, is spoken ironically, seeming to indicate that Alex was back to being his old self after his aversion therapy. However, in the longer version, Alex actually matures and gets bored of the violence.
What happened to Alex and his droogs at the end of "A Clockwork Orange"? In the novel, they all grew up and became involved with life as adults. In the film, two of them became police officers, and turned on Alex.
Answer and Explanation: Though no specific year is given in A Clockwork Orange, the setting is a not so distant future dystopian England. Society has broken down, leaving gangs of teenagers free to terrorize their communities.
