Untitled Essay, Research Paper

A Clockwork Orange

The freedom of choice and the rehabilitating form of corrections encase the

realm of A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess. It produces the question

about man’s free will and the ability to choose one’s destiny, good or evil.

“If he can only perform good or only perform evil, then he is a clockwork

orange-meaning that he has the appearance of an organism lovely with colour

and juice but is in fact only a clockwork toy to be wound up by God or the

Devil or State”(Burgess ix).

Burgess expresses the idea that man can not be completely good or evil and

must have both in order to create a moral choice. The book deals upon reforming

a criminal with only good morals and conditioning an automated response to

“evil.” Burgess enforces the idea of the medical model of corrections, in

terms of rehabilitating an offender, which is up to the individual. That

one should determine the cause and then find an exclusive treatment to resolve

that individual’s case, then apply it. This is the case with the character

Alex, a juvenile delinquent introduced into prisonization then conditioned

by governmental moral standards. This lack of personal moral choice imposed

upon Alex creates conflicting situations in which he has no control over.

This is apparent when trying to readjust into society. As conflicts arise

within the spectrum of criminal justice the main focus is revolved around

the corrections aspect of reforming the criminal element.

Within the confines of the seventies Londoner. The character, Alex is created

as the ultimate juvenile delinquent leading a small gang. Living within his

own world the use of old Londoner language and attire reflect the non-conformity

with society. Let loose within a large metropolitan, Alex is engulfed in

the affairs of several criminal practices, from rape to aggravated assault.

As a juvenile delinquent, Alex is finally caught and seen as an adult offender.

Like all offenders he promotes his innocence and sets blame upon his companions.

“Where are the others? Where are my stinking traitorous droogs? One of my

cursed grahzny bratties chained me on the glazzies. Get them before they

get away. It was their idea, brothers. They like forced me to do it”(Burgess

74).

Betrayed by his cohorts Alex is beaten by local officials and confesses to

all the crimes. As a point to retribution a sergeant states, “Violence makes

violence”(Burgess 80) and proceeds to through Alex back into the cell. All

the while Alex detests the treatment and conditions of the local jail, ”

So I was kicked and punched and bullied off to the cells and put in with

about ten or twelve other plennies, a lot of them drunk”(Burgess 81). Unlike

the fair treatment of most juveniles Alex was finally getting the taste of

adult corrections, being held in a drunk tank along with other felons. Faced

with the reality of prison life, Alex is introduced to prisonization by the

same system which incarcerated him. Showing him one must be tough and violent

to survive within the penal system.

The term prisonization refers to the effect when an offender is subjected

to the culture, morals, rules, and values of a penal institution. Then this

is inscribed into his or her own behavior and deems them fit as a norm. This

is the case involving Alex when he must prove his worth in a correctional

institution by beating a fellow inmate.

“If we can’t have sleep let’s have some education, our new friend here had

better be taught a lesson …I fisted him all over, dancing about with

my boots on though unlaced, and then I tripped him and he went crash crash

on the floor. I gave him a real horror show kick on the gulliver”(Burgess

102).

Although being brutal deems fit for Alex, he realizes that only repentance

and good behavior in the eyes of the officials can release him from the jaws

of justices. So in order to be viewed as a reforming criminal Alex turns

to religion. As the prison minister clearly states,

“Is it going to be in and out of institutions like this, though more in than

out for most of you, or are you going to attend to the Divine Word and realize

the punishment that await the unrepentant sinner in the next world, as well

as in this?”(Burgess 90)

and the main focus for reforming is in the hands of God and individual

moral choice. Through religion Alex soon becomes a model prisoner, externally,

yet internally still willing to do anything to get out. This also included

experimental rehabilitation methods done by the state.

Being a juvenile in an adult prison one would have the urgency to be released

as quickly as possible. When the word got out of a new experimental reforming

process and a chance for early release, it immediately caught Alex’s attention.

To be chosen, this meant constant pressuring and questioning to the officials,

plus showing that he is trying to reform. ” You’ve been very helpful and,

I consider, shown a genuine desire to reform. You will, if you continue this

manner, earn your remission with no trouble at all”(Burgess 94). However

Alex’s intent on reforming was not a religious aspect but the quickest. He

finally realizes a new way to get out and questions the proceedings. “I don’t

know what it’s called, I said, All I know is that it gets you out quickly

and makes sure you don’t get in again”(Burgess 95). However the minister

has doubts about the medical treatment techniques involved in forcing a person

to be morally better. He brings up the question of what makes a real moral

person. “I must confess I share those doubts. The question is whether such

a technique can really make a man good. Goodness comes from within, 6655321.

Goodness is something chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a

man”(Burgess 95). This does not deter Alex from the thought of early release

but only intensifies his desires. With his determination and pure will Alex

is finally permitted to be experimented on for rehabilitation.

With an early release in site Alex’s willingness overshadows any curiosities

of the treatment. Transferred from a state prison to a private facility insures

his release from incarceration. “In a little over a fortnight you will be

out again in the big free world, no longer a number”(Burgess 108). With the

increase in population comes an increase crime, this has also brought on

encouraging new rehabilitating techniques to corrections. Stated by one

government official the importance of reforming in corrections rather than

retribution.

“The government cannot be concerned any longer with out moded penalogical

theories. Cram criminals together and see what happens. You get concentrated

criminality, crime in the midst of punishment . . . Kill the criminal reflex,

that’s all”(Burgess 105,106).

The rehabilitating technique used upon Alex is that of responsive conditioning

with the use of drugs and visual aids. Conditioning is the implementation

of either teaching or forcing one to feel or think a certain way when given

a decision. Alex is therefore forced to feel and think negative responses

when shown evil sites or thoughts. Yet the an error had occurred when the

state was conditioning “good” into him. The use of classical music along

with the treatment conditioned Alex to respond to that as well.

As Alex detested the use of music, he states the cruelty of the technique,

“But it’s not fair on the music. It’s not fair I should feel ill when I’m

slooshying lovely Ludwig van and G.F. Handel and others”(Burgess 133). Yet

the state feels the use of music is only an enhancement to the treatment,

“It’s a useful emotional heightener, that’s all I know”(Burgess 131). As

the treatment ends the sick feeling is only increased when Alex is confronted

with any “evil.” With this conditioning set in place Alex is finally released

into society and deemed healthy, pure of all morals.

The readjustment into society’s values seems to be the main question. Was

the implementation of conditioning a person to strictly good morals proper

and humane? As the title suggests one can not be purely good or evil to be

a man. One must have both in order to create humanistic choice. If not, the

creation would be that of a robot like person incapable of feeling or self

awareness. As Alex is released into the world as the states’ example of a

“healthy” person, he is tested by all extremes. One test was the incapability

to defend himself against the smallest attacks on his character. Another

error the state had provided is the use of music in the treatment of Alex.

Not only does he feel physically sick when he thinks or looks at violence

but also when he hears classical music. “It was that these doctors bratchnies

had so fixed things that any music that was like for the emotions would make

me just sick like viddying or wanting to do violence”(Burgess 161). Within

the conditioning techniques of repulsing him to violence, the state had also

forced him to hate music. The use of this correctional treatment failed due

to the implementations on morality of human choice. Is it better to have

a criminal make human choices, good or bad, or a purely good person not capable

of making any choices. As most opinions state, criminals should all be locked

up or dealt with in some harsh manner. There are also those who believe that

offenders are diseased by some element and can and/or should be cured. As

far as corrections is concerned, society can not lock up every offender and

can not come up with plausible means of curing the criminal element. With

the rise in population there will always be a rise in crime. However this

does seem to be the present trend, 5.3 million people were on probation,

in jail, in prison, or on parole in 1995 (B.J.S. 1). As seen in Alex’s case

the corrections techniques to cure the element did not work. Perhaps the

best means was to incarcerate him for his term and let him pay his debt to

society. The only correct method of corrections is that of self correcting

ones.