A Clockwork Orange

Rating:
Summary: An interesting exploration of a moral dilemma, though dated
Review: Anthony Burgess' modern classic A CLOCKWORK ORANGE revolves around a central ethical conundrum: is it better to let a violent criminal continue to be disposed to crime than to remove that which essentially makes him human, his free will?

The narrator, a teenager named Alex, is a hoodlum in a near-future where gangs roam the streets and society is decaying. After a string of crimes, Alex is betrayed by his companions and winds up sentenced to over a decade in prison. After two years behind bars, he is given the opportunity to be the subject of a new experimental theraphy, "Ludovico's treatment", which would have him cured and a free man in a mere two weeks. Alex loses his criminal tendencies, but Burgess asks, "At what cost"? After this setup, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE goes on to examine what stripping a person of his free will would mean for him and society.

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE is also the reaction of a Briton against communist governments, this book was obviously written in the early 1960's. The administration which seeks to tame Alex seems benevolent, but there are signs of growing despotism. In foreboding one passage, a prison official expresses his hope that Alex will leave the prison, as the space will soon be needed for political prisoners. The dialect that Alex's generation speaks, Nadsat, is a mixture of Russian and English words, and shows a Soviet influence on this future England. This makes the book feel somewhat dated, my reason for giving it four stars.

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE is written in Alex's dialect, and nearly every sentence has Russian words written as they sound to English ears. However, this is rarely a problem, as Burgess gives sufficient context to quickly understand such common words as "glazzies," "pletchoes", "tolchock", and "devotchka". The Russian words are nearly all extremely common anotomical terms, so for those who want to be certain about every word of Nadsat, any small Russian dictionary will do.

Stanley Kubrick's 1972 film of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE went on to become popular, buut be aware that the book is a very different story. Kubrick based his film off the original American edition of the book, which lacks the crucial final chapter in which Burgess reveals a suprising plot turn, which reverses much of what came before. Thus, the book and the movie have totally opposite messages. The book is also more graphic than the movie. While the movie has Alex in a tryst with two teenage girls, the original scene from the book has him molest two ten-year olds after shooting heroin. Thus, for those sensitive to explicit content, the book may be more objectionable than the movie, although the book's thick dialect and sparse detail does not have the force of actually seeing such things in a movie.

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE may appeal to those intrigued by the moral dilemma it presents. It is also suprisingly entertaining for new students of Russian, as this reviewer found. If you enjoy A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, I'd recommend going on to Burgess' work 1985, in which he examines George Orwell's work 1984 from a viewpoint closer to that year, this book is somewhat of a continuation of several themes of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE.

Rating:
Summary: Meaning found in a different lifestyle
Review: A Clockwork Orange is a book of definite motif and an understanding of a life people usually refuse to recognize. Not only was the main character/narrator's, Alex, lifestyle portrayed specifically throughout the novel, it was greatly astounding to be noticed as a life worth meaning and acknowledgement. Alex's life was one of violence, a typical hooligan's life who grows up with gangs and other such bad influences. There is a dramatic change in the course of the novel from it's beginning which keeps the excitement up, because I have to admit, the beginning is redundant with the amount of violence displayed. The twist in the plot is ironic and surprising. There is meaning behind all the slang Borgess speaks with through Alex. If you are a person who is able to find meaning if small areas of life and depict reality from the real world, I suggest this book. It gives one a purpose, a meaning to look for between the lines of this book. It keeps one entertained by creating a desire to know what happens to Alex. The end gives one a sweet sense of satisfation although the ending is nothing you could ever imagine. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Not just clockwork
Review: There are tired, predictable books, and then there is A Clockwork Orange. In what should have been a sickening foray into the dark underbelly of the surreal crime world, Burgess leads his readers to find the essentiality of choice and the importance of living life for the good and bad. Although many graphic images can have a stomach-turning effect on the reader, the overall motive of the book remains intact through the clever use of language and subtle humor. What is unique to this book is the way in which the reader may choose how he would like it to end by simply ignoring the addendum of the last chapter or reading on. Depending on this choice, the book can mean very different things, and that is a feature not found in many other works. There are books that are worth reading for their social commentary, others for their wit, and still others for their surrealism; A Clockwork Orange is truly all of these and more. It is a must-read for anyone who loves true literature.

Rating:
Summary: A Dystopian Masterpiece
Review: A wonderful book that was hard to put down since reading the first lines about Alex and his Droogs. A future where after night falls the criminals rule the night. And a future where the solution to the problem is actually worse then the problem it self.

Rating:
Summary: Looks the seedier side of human nature in the face
Review: For the most part, there is wildly violent entertainment and then there is remarkably provocative art and seldom do the two overlap. One of those rare occasions is Anthony Burgress' 1962 transgressive classic, A Clockwork Orange. At first, the tale of Alex, a malicious, young degenerate of the future, seems like a warped, little shocker, full of madcap language, malevolent intentions and stomach-turning violence. As the novel progresses, though, it is soon evident that Mr. Burgess is carefully surveying an important subject matter: juvenile delinquency. Through portrayals of Alex's parents, he comments on Dr. Spock-style principles. Through portrayals of the government and prison system, he comments on what type of society produces these baby-faced killers (One as amoral and creative as the delinquents themselves). And through the main character's vivid naration he explores the surprisingly human thoughts and motives behind this appalling behavior. Most often when one walks into a theater, turns on the TV or opens a novel and squeems, the said media's creators are attempting to vend cheap thrills. But not always. Mr. Burgess' brilliant and alarming book and the stunning Stanley Kubrick film based upon it are instances when true artists looked the seedier side of human nature in the face and produced poignant works of art from their observations.

Rating:
Summary: Strange But Good
Review: Frist of all, if there was ever a book that needed a R rateing this would be it. However, dispite the disturbing amount of voilence, and the at times incomprehesable slang the book is a must read. It's thrilling and creepy veiw of the future leads one to question the morality of punishment and the roll of society to "cure" our criminals of there nature to kill. In the end the book asks the pressing question, when does the cure become worse then the deises?

On the down side, the book uses a strange varity of slang that takes a while to get used too, and at times one wonders if they'll ever get through parts. Never the less, it is still a wonderful adventure into the mind of a psycho who, by the end to the book, is much more sane, then the rest of his society.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible, mind expanding
Review: This is one of the most original, exciting, terrifying books that I have ever read. Burgess manages to craft a world that is both alien and strangely familiar. His use of a made up language is both hilarious and tasteful, and you will find yourself adapting to the unique rhythm of ALex's speech. The book can almost be labeled as an exteneded poem, with sentecnes that seem to be there for the sole purpose of showing the musicality of langauge.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: A Clockwork Orange is a genius piece composed by none other than the linguistic mastermind Anthony Burgess. From the beginning to the end of this horrific and, at the same time, humorous tale, Burgess recounts the adolescent happenings of a young nadsat named Alex. Using the first-person, Alex tells his teenage story of being institutionalized, and the accounts that follow his early release. The language in this book is incredible; no other author holds rank with Burgess.

Rating:
Summary: Juicy Reading
Review: Can you program an orange, which is appeeling on the outside and full of juicness on the inside, to behave in a clockwork manner. The novel, A Clockwork Orange, firmly states "No!"

Although the main character, Alex, is ultraviolent in manner and his horrorshow activites make readers cringe, it is his choice to behave in this nature, no matter how shocking it may be. Once he becomes programed to behave according to the laws and moral restrants, then he becomes a tool and is manipulated to the point that he is less of a human being.

I'm not going to go into any more specifics of the novel because they have already been firmly stated by previous reviewers. However, I will say that I have not seen the movie version of the novel and frankly do not see how it could acturately portray the author's true intentions without the twenty-first chapter. The final chapter makes the novel, in some sense, an allegory of youth and shows that people are not clockwork--they are not machines that solely follow the forces of good or evil. Instead, people are living beings who do not necessarily follow a set path in life.

A great book. I only wish that I hadn't burned through the whole 192 pages in two days.

Rating:
Summary: Read this Book!!!!
Review: What a compelling read! There are so many themes and commentaries in this book from criminal rehabilitation to the wrecklessness of youth. Even more amazing is that though tongue-in-cheek, all of these themes are very thought provoking. To me the most compelling theme was the most prominent: is it a greater crime to be bad by choice or to be compelled to be good? Though Alex and his droogs' crimes are shocking, the reader is prompted to ask if the state has committed the greater crime in negating Alex's right to choose. It is an interesting reversal of the Orwellian view of the future, in that the state wields no power over society. Apathy by the citizenry and the state seem to permeate Burgess' view of the future. One senses that the statement at the heart of the issues in A Clockwork Orange is that apathy, rather than totalitarianism, is the greatest danger society must face.