Free Will in a Clockwork Orange Essay

Choice and b ar will are necessary to maintain humanity, both individually and communally without them, man is no long-lived human but a clockwork orange, a mechanical toy, as demonstrated in Anthony Burgess novel, A Clockwork Orange. The choice between bully and mephistophelian is a decision every man must make throughout his behavior in order to guide his flirtions and tally his future. Forcing some unitary to be good is not as important as the routine of someone choosing to be good. This element of choice, no matter what the outcome, displays mans power as an individual.A Clockwork Orange starts with Alex posing the question whats it handsomeing to be then, eh? . Burgess begins the story by demonstrating that Alex and his gang are discontinue to do as they choose. Alex and his droogs are rebellious modern youth in an oppressive society. The droogs are tempted like all humanity by sin and try to show their hate for the g overnment with acts of extreme violence. The flus hed and rebellious behavior is a precede of expel will, but without the presence of corruptive, there would be nothing for humanity to choose. end-to-end part one of the novel the droogs choices often result in violent actions harming innocent people. Examples of their ultra-violence are rampant Alex and his droogs choose to rob and assault a man, Alex rapes puppylike girls, and the droogs rob an old ptitsa who later dies from Alexs assault. As Burgess says devilish has to exist along with good, in order that clean choice may hire? Unfortunately there is so much original sin in us all that we find evil rather attractive. God gave individuals waive will, and they are responsible for their actions.The government has no right to interfere with human nature. A person can choose to be good or evil as Alex tries to demonstrate when he says what I do I do because I like to do. With this statement, Alex clearly demonstrates that he is responsible for his actions and he chooses to act out against society simply because he likes to, because he is attracted to sin. When Alex and his gang attack F. horse parsley and his wife, we again witness horrible acts of violence that are ultimately the result of Alexs choice. This appalling scene is another example of Alex using his free will and his temptation towards evil.Evil is not only part of Alexs life but the governments as well. The evil of the government can be seen in part two of the novel when Alexs mind is controlled and pressure to earn no moral choice. The government controls Alexs free will by means of the Ludovico Technique, which makes Alex physically ill at the mere consideration of violent thoughts. When Alex is in the staja the Governor states that criminals can best be dealt with on a purely curative basis. Kill the criminal reflex? . The Governor does not insure that criminal intent is not an unrestrained reaction, but the result of autonomy.The voice of reason in the prison is the prison Chaplin who questions the ethics of interfering with Gods gift of moral choice, goodness comes from within?. goodness is something chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man. Again through one of his characters, Burgess is stating that inhibiting a persons free will is more evil than a persons ability to choose evil over good. If one cannot choose, one ceases to be human and is exactly like a machine controlled by the government.After Alex undergoes the Ludovico Technique, he stops asking whats it going to be then, eh? only to prove that Alex has lost his free will. Alexs question that was so prominent disappears and the mere thought of violence makes him physically ill. Dr Branom explains the effects of the proficiency to Alex you are being made sane, you are being made healthy.The government and the doctors are convinced that they are making Alex sane and healthy. On the contrary, they are controlling his ability to have a choice in his actions. The doctors are attempting to eliminate Alexs moral choice, which is neither sane nor healthy. The doctors go nevertheless further when they discover Alexs live for classical music.Dr Branom says here is the punishment element, perhaps. The Governor ought to be pleased. They go beyond trying to reform Alex and move on to punish and torture him, for after this torment is complete hearing a beautiful piece of music makes Alex sick. Alexs reaction to music becomes violent and detestable because of the governments economic consumption and the side effects of the Ludovico Technique. Alex did not choose to have his free will and love for music taken away. After the purpose is complete, the prison Chaplin comments he has no real choice , has he?he ceases to be a wrongdoer. He ceases also to be a creature receptive of moral choice. The government limits Alexs moral choice to only good which is truly the essence of evil for it interferes with the gift of free will given(p) to humankind by god. After Alex is rele ased into society, he has a difficult time adjusting since his world has drastically alternated. Alex is now forced to behave oppositely to what he desires. The doctors have forced him to be good. After Dim and Billyboy have assaulted Alex, he encounters F. Alexander who takes him in.Alex attacked F. Alexander earlier in the story and mocked him for explaining the concept of free moral choice. When F. Alexander hears Alexs story he remarks they have turned into something other than a human being. You have no power of choice any longer. You are committed to socially acceptable acts, a little machine capable only of good? . F. Alexander understands that limiting a mans free will is a sin, but as we soon learn, F. Alexander and his faction use Alex for their own cause and form Alex into a martyr by manipulating and influencing his will.This act of selfishness proves that F. Alexanders faction is no better than the government they are criticizing. They are willing to sacrifice Alex to make him a martyr to the cause f Liberty? . F. Alexander and his faction are so ruthless that Alex sees suicide as his only way out. He decides to do myself in, to snuff it, to blast forth forever out of this wicked and cruel world. Alexs thoughts, feelings and choices have been altered and he feels that he can only escape his evil manipulation by suicide. To Alex, F.Alexanders faction turns out to be as evil as the government they are fighting.While Alex is in the hospital, after his failed suicide attempt, F. Alexander says you have served Liberty well. It is clear to Alex that there is no distinction between the oppressive government and the deception of F. Alexanders faction. Once Alex has regained his free will, he is released back into society and attempts to go back to his old ways. The beginning of part three mirrors part one however, Alex is starting to change.Alex seems less interested in senseless violence, and since his free will has returned, he starts dreaming and won dering what it was like changing and what was going to happen to me. Alex is beginning to realize that he has choices to make in his life. After meeting Pete who has matured Alex has a revelation, he imagines himself as a husband and father and realizes I was like growing up. Alex is attracted by love and parenthood, not by sin. He uses his moral choice to choose to righteous path and finally answers the question with thats what its going to be, brothers.Alex willfully chooses to change his ways he decides to be productive, and chooses love over sin. He realizes that what he did in the past was wrong, as well as the immorality of his ways. It is through free moral choice that Alex arrives at this conclusion, not through a government technique forcing him to make the right decision. As part of the process of maturity, Alex would have in all likelihood selected this path naturally. However, the interference of the government and F. Alexanders interference with Alexs moral choice ulti mately drove him to attempt suicide to escape the evil ways they chose for reform.Moral choice can lead to violence, but without the risks, there would be nothing for humanity to choose. The government and F. Alexanders faction control Alexs free will to justify their own political agenda. They control his ability to choose without realizing that interfering with humanitys ability to exercise free will is evil. Both the government and F. Alexanders faction claim to be the good guys when they are the true faces of pure evil. One has to remember that evil is a master of disguise. It often hides behind the mask of the hero.