The Ideology of A Clockwork Orange

The story of Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange has been one of the most controversial stories through the history of literature and film. The themes dealt throughout Burgess’s world are violence, theft, rape, and the social commentary about the government and youth, in a rather sardonic view (much of which was altered for the film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick). In a ‘not so distant’ dystopian future, the protagonist--roughly 15 years old—gets his kicks by racing across town, getting into street fights, and beating up and raping whoever he and his friends feel like. And in this world, this type of activity is the norm. Until one day, Alex (the protagonist), is turned on by his friends and sent by the police to be ‘cured’ via brainwashing to end his violent ways.

In Randy Martin’s article Where Did the Future Go?, he states that the capitalistic future that was dreamed of long ago, has been a failure the last 25 years. And that it will take a long time to get toward such a state again. With the new social leadership, everything is still up for debate, and we ‘suffer from imperialism’s renaissance.’ It is easy to judge and estimate that the economy and culture in A Clockwork Orange is that of a social one. Everything is taken care of by the government and police. Alex even discovers that his friends are now working class policemen, while returning home after the treatment. And considering what the youth of this dystopia are doing, this might seem like a likely idea. The world is still in fear of being assaulted. The youth obviously are not worried about being caught and punished.

I don’t know if Burgess or Kubrick were trying to warn the viewers/readers of what could possibly happen in the future, but Martin seems to think it could happen. Maybe the world of Burgess was created rashly and so that’s why the citizens are more government trusted, but still fear what they are still capable of. And what is exactly the government doing when they aren’t working on Alex? What kind of ideology is this society exactly? One that certainly we should be avoiding, if we can help it. Already there are stories of people shot everyday in the bad areas of cities like Los Angeles, and around the country. But in the fictional society, it is an extreme vision of contemporary moments (maybe to get a point across).

The government treat Alex like he is a psychiatric patient (which he is very much so), and not as a prisoner. Though he is in control by the officials and being told what to do, he is not entirely off the hook. This sounds like a fine alternative, especially if the treatment can be permanent, as shown later in the film. But it can also backfire as expressed in the ending, when Alex can be seen imagining himself enjoying his earlier antics. I think no matter which way you look at it, life may never be completely dystopian, but it has a larger chance of not being utopian either. While the law can control someone’s actions, they can’t control someone’s thoughts and feelings without drastic results and regret. Something that seems to be a current topic in class. The ideology of A Clockwork Orange is not perfect and one that should remain in fiction.