A Clockwork Orange Essay: Blindness in A Clockwork Orange

Blindness in A Clockwork Orange In the novel, A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess has tried to show the importance of individual freedom over doing the right thing. He has taken an extreme example of violence and perverse acts to accent his strong belief. It is my opinion that Burgess has been blinded to some essential truths in his quest to ensure personal freedom. Personal freedom can be described as acting upon your own accord and not becoming restricted by the social paradigm in which you live. This is definitely a noble cause, all men should have the right to choose the path of their own lives. You may have the right to choose your own actions, but you are not allowed to impose your freedom on others. This is the point at which Burgess’ supposed view becomes hypocritical. Alex has forced himself into the personal freedom of others and in doing so is no better than the state which rehabilitated him. If one imposes himself on the personal freedom of another violently, a reaction will occur. If a rabid dog wanders around your neighborhood, do you let it continue to do so? The dog as you once knew it was an affectionate creature always playing with the children and never once threatened the mailman, but today it threatens the lives of everyone in your community. The dog’s life is ended and it is freed from it’s disease. Alex is sick much like a rabid dog, he is perverse and though it may not be his fault, much like it was not the dog’s fault of becoming rabid, his threat on others has to be neutralized. I question the actual freedom Alex believes he has. He seems to be oppressed by his emotional sickness and perverseness. Alex is a slave to his supposed freedom, which is dictated by the feelings of the other people whos... ...y of the 1940’s. The fact that the book was taken from a juvenile point of view, which whether we like it or not is associated with naivetà © and innocence, also downplayed the violent acts which were occurring. In the movie it is not as easy to identify with Alex, due to the fact that he is portrayed as an adult. I then took notice of the parallel to this â€Å"power of propaganda† theme, which was illustrated through out section two. Alex is given the Reclamation Treatment, the use of propaganda films and drugs for reflex conditioning, which addresses fears of brain washing evident in that era. For me this is a much stronger theme than the freedom of choice one, which I addressed earlier in the essay. I am not certain exactly what Burgess was trying to show with this book, all I know is that it revealed to me what propaganda can accomplish if it is done correctly.