A Clockwork Orange

The novel, A Clockwork Orange, which is set in an undefined futuristic society, ultimately deals with the struggle between independence and obligatory behavior. It is considered a popular essay topic. The main character Alex and his "droogs," Pete, Georgie and Dim are one of the many gangs who enjoy looting, assault, robbery and rape. The leader of the gang, Alex, is a psychopath who loves Beethoven and craves devotion and dedication from his friends who eventually become tired of following Alex's dictatorship and betray him. Alex, although only fifteen, is arrested for murder and is imprisoned but is offered the chance to be released early if he participates in a government experiment. Unwittingly, he accepts. He is given drugs to make him sick and forced to watch violent films, fastened so he is incapable of moving or closing his eyes.

Subsequently he is unable to be violent without feeling sick. His love of classical music is destroyed by the experience, as Beethoven was regularly included on the soundtrack to the films. After his release, the opposition of the government torture Alex with the ninth symphony, driving him to attempt suicide. The very thing that makes us human is taken away from Alex - the ability to choose. Alex becomes "a clockwork orange". "A Clockwork Orange" is indubitably a most precisely structured novel. For your research paper, you will have to study the three sections, each dealing with a further development of Alex's maturity. In the first section, Alex is a fifteen-year-old hooligan; in the second section, he is cured from his violent tendencies and in the third he finally matures into a sensible adult after becoming a victim of society and attempting suicide. It is in the third section the corrupt police force, old acquaintances and the government's opposition torturing him. This eventually leads to his suicide attempt.