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.
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