Clockwork Orange
Essay by 24 • September 17, 2010 • 298 Words (2 Pages) • 1,858 Views
The choice between good and evil is a decision every man must make throughout his life
in order to guide his actions and control his future. This element of choice, no matter
what the outcome, displays man's power as an individual. Any efforts to control or
influence this choice between good and evil will in turn govern man's free will and enslave
him. In the novel A Clockwork Orange, the author, Anthony Burgess, uses symbolism
through imagery, the characterization of Alex, and the first person narrative point of view
to prove that without the ability to choose between good and evil, man becomes
powerless as an individual. The symbolism through imagery proves how Alex's ability to
choose between good and evil is his ascendancy over the innocent and the weak. The first
symbol is the music to which he listens and loves. It is the only thing in Alex's life that he
truly cares for. This music represents the element of his choice and free will. When his
ability of choice is robbed in an attempt to better him, he loses his love for music. The
author illustrates through Alex's violent actions, how they represent his abuse of power
through his freedom of choice. Alex consistently chooses evil as a means to display his
power over the innocent and the good. While beating and raping a young girl, he feels that
he must display his power to is droogs through his abuse
...
...