A Clockwork Orange

Leonora van Hemert

A Clockwork Orange

The movie A Clockwork Orange's main protagonist is Alex. He lives in a dystopian futuristic city with a repressive totalitarian super-state. Under this repressive government there is a growth of a violent youth culture. Alex, who is part of this subculture, is the leader of a gang of teenage criminals.

The movie begins with the boys hanging out in the Korova Milkbar, where the story is narrated by Alex himself. The story moves on to the boys ringing the doorbell of a house, asking to use the telephone.  Once the door is opened, they barge in with masks on their faces and proceed to beat up the man and rape his wife, while Alex is singing 'I'm singing in the rain'. They then return to the Korova Milkbar, where there is a woman singing an opera by Beethoven, who is Alex's favourite composer. One of the boys of the gang is disrespectful towards the singer and Alex beats him with his walking stick. This is the moment where the others decide to turn against their leader. The next scene, the boys are waiting for Alex in the foyer of his apartment building, where he lives with his parents. They decide to go on another robbing spree and rape and rob an old cat lady living alone. Alex is the only one carrying out the robbery while the others wait outside. When Alex hears the police, he quickly tries to flee, but is betrayed by his fellow gang members and hit in the head and left for the police to pick up.

The old cat lady dies from her injuries and Alex is sentenced to 14 years in prison. There he bonds with the prison chaplain and seems to have converted to Christianity. There is talk about a special treatment in the prison that is supposed to cure one of his violent tendencies. Alex asks the chaplain about this treatment. He responds that it still is experimental and that if Alex's wants to be good that he has to choose to be good. "Goodness is chosen. When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man" (Chaplain). Ultimately, Alex is chosen to undergo the treatment. The treatment is called the Ludovico's Technique, which brainwashes and also incorporates associative learning. He is forced to watch violent movies with a contraption placed on his eyes so he cannot look away. The treatment's result is that Alex becomes ill every time he is confronted with violence. Unfortunately, one of the movies also includes Beethoven's ninth symphony, so Alex is conditioned also against this particular piece of music. The State deems Alex's treatment successful and makes plans to implement it on a larger scale.

Alex is released from prison, now harmless and unable to commit violence against anyone, but also unable to resist violence committed against himself. As a cruel spin of fate he meets with all his previous victims who are out for revenge. Even his old buddies, who are now police officers take him to an abandoned field and beat him up. Beaten up and soaking wet from the rain he reaches a house and knocks on the door. The man living there answers the door and Alex recognizes him as one of his former victims, who he had beaten up and whose wife he had raped. The man however doesn't recognize Alex as his robber, but he does recognize him from the papers and the headlines about the treatment. The man, who turns out to be a dissident writer against the state, plans to use Alex for his own interests which is to bring down the State. However, Alex makes a mishap by singing 'I'm singing in the rain' while in the bathtub, which reminds the man of who Alex really is. He blames Alex for the death of his wife and wants to use his death to blame on the State. He tortures Alex by making him listen to the ninth symphony by Beethoven. Completely out of his mind, Alex attempts to commit suicide by jumping out of the window.  

He does not die and is admitted to hospital and meanwhile the State is under scrutiny because of the treatment they have given Alex. However, there are no consequences for the State. The dissident writer is also put in jail. Alex is restored to his own self and in return he is asked for his cooperation in saving the reputation of the government. He agrees and the movie ends with a press conference. 

Because of the treatment applied by the State to Alex to rid him of his violent behaviour and tendencies, he becomes completely unable to resist any violent acts committed to him. In the scene of the big reveal of the results of the treatment, Alex is harassed and even forced to lick the soles of someone's shoe and he is completely unable to resist the violence that is being done to him. It seems that this treatment is the ultimate mean for the State to compel its citizens to its goals. If this therapy was indeed implemented it could take away all the free will of people.  "He seizes to be a wrongdoinger. He seizes also to be a creature capable of moral choice" (Chaplain). He turns into a perfect puppet for the State to control.
                It is the question whether the goal of the treatment was to 'cure' Alex of his violence or if it was to 'cure' Alex from his free will. The State seems to want to exercise complete control over the individuals who experienced the program as they do not see a problem with Alex being forced to lick the sole of someone's shoe and not able to resist the violence committed against him or to stand up for himself.
                Moreover, Alex himself inquires about the program. This could be because he just wanted to get out of prison, but perhaps also a form of self-censorship as he wants to be good and does not care about the consequences and dangers the chaplain warns him about. He just wants to get out of prison and never get back in. He just wants to comply to the standards and norms the state has set for him. He 'just' wants to be good as that is what the State requires of him. He does not necessarily show remorse for the crimes he has committed.
                “Truly engineers, though maybe not of human souls, censors intend to construct rather than prohibit.  What they wish to make is a certain kind of text, one that can be read in only one way […].” (Holquist 1994). The State tries to construct a certain, perfect model citizens of those who do not immediately and freely comply to its rules. With the Ludovico's treatment it attempts to suppress any dissident movement permanently and not only rule out violence, but also rule out any form of opposition and expression of free will.  

I believe that this film can be applied to various historical situations. The oppressive State wants complete control over its dissident citizens and the treatment would have been a perfect solution to eradicate dissident movement forever. The treatment may have been very over the top, however it can be seen as a severe form of indoctrination. It's primary goal is to brainwash people to be 'just' and 'good' and to not resist any form of violence committed to them. Whether this is by individuals (the dissident writer) or, more importantly, by the government (the State). One could argue that in a totalitarian oppressive regime, the goal is that the citizens comply by the norms, standards and requirements set by the state and not to resist them.  In A Clockwork Orange not only Alex's actions are censored„…it was the spirit, meaning and essence of the intelligentsia that was wiped out“ (Tolstaya 318). The whole idea of Alex as a being was eradicated. He himself  is being censored; his entire being and his free will are being controlled by the treatment he has been given by the State. He is not a human being with free will and choice anymore. He is a puppet to an oppressive regime.

Holquist, Michael. “Corrupt Originals: The Paradox of Censorship.” PMLA 109.1 (1994): 14–25. Print.

Tolstaya, Tatyana. “The Perils of Utopia: The Russian Intelligentsia under Communism and Perestroyka.” Development and Change 27 (1996): 315-329.