My close friends are probably annoyed that I rave about the book at any chance I get!! I read it a few years back, before or after O Levels, read it again, and will definitely be re-visiting it (after I'm done with the pile of books which I HAVE NO TIME TO ATTEND TO)!
The novel follows the story of Alex DeLarge, obnoxious teen tyrant who terrorizes the society with his late night shenanigans with his droogs. While incarcerated, he volunteers himself for the "Ludovico's Technique", a brainchild of the government to ease the overcrowding issue in prison. Through classic conditioning, Alex develops negative responses to his innate evil inclinations, and this thereby compels him to 'do good'. I'm not gonna spoil the book because it's so worth reading and that I'm too lazy to write. One of the two things I adore about this book are concepts like the institution and the self, youth, and free will, which, to me are very huge concepts. It is how these ideas are sewn together in an arresting story plot that amazes me up till this day!
And of course, THE LANGUAGE. If Burgess were to use plain English, will this book still triumph, solely on it's plot? Definitely not. The novel is first person narrated in Nadsat, an argot in English peppered with Russian slovos. It's very funny how it is precisely this funky language thing that made me near give up on the book when I first read it. Out of context, these modified Russian words are gibberish to me and I couldn't get a clear picture of what was going on till a few chapters in.
Here is one of my favourite passages; Alex here was engaged in a gang fight:
"And my brothers, it was real satisfaction to me to waltz left two three, right two three - and carve left cheeky and right cheeky, so that like two curtains of blood seemed to pour out at the same time, one on either side of his fat filthy oily snout in the winter starlight."It's describing something so gruesome in such a rhythmic, beautiful prose, it's like you can practically feel how Alex is taking joy in the ol' ultraviolence. Love the contrast.
Love the hypocrisy here too!
To me, using Nadsat as some age-defined vernacular characterizes and isolates teens from the rest of the society. Against the backdrop of regular English dialogues from the institution and authorities, it creates this sense of "teenage identity" among them, such that Alex and his droogs exist in some independent, wayward, teen subculture. As you go along, you kinda get hooked on the language, like ponying every slovo little Alex boy govoreets (SORRY I CANNOT HELP IT), and understanding this esoteric "teenage vernacular" assimilates you into the story and soon enough you get SOOOOOOOOoooo attached to Alex. Because it's first-person narrated, there's always "O my brothers" in his narrative, like Alex is specifically addressing me so it's really engaging and I adore it so much omggggggg.
Ok enough of the book, here is a very good synopsis from the programme booklet
It was an all-male cast, so I thought it was interesting especially during scenes with women. Also, even more interesting were the theatrical dances and violence, shirtless.
Of course the play was not without censorship, of the depiction of Alex's attitude towards Christianity. I can write more about censorship but I don't wanna digress.
One of my favourite scenes was when the doctors unveiled the "reformed" Alex, and Davies (who played Alex) launched into a soliloquy starting with a (really, extremely) loud, anguished "ME! ME ME ME what about me? Am I just to be a ..... CLOCKWORK ORANGE?" (Or something to that effect - it was in the book as well).
And then there's the scene where Alex attempts to commit suicide by jumping off the window, and then the theatre went dark for dramatic effect and Beethoven's Symphony Number 9 still continued to blare on. Love the build up.
And the ending was amazing, with Alex just sitting on the table, talking to the audience (as in the book); it was as retrospective as how I love it to be, and when he delivered his rendition of the last few paragraphs of the book I was just like OMGGGGGGG DA FEELZ
I absolutely ADORE the last paragraph. Moving on, growing out of his teenage identity, the maturation and happy ending concludes the book beautifully, and this is what makes this book, to me, heartwarming, despite all the heinous deeds my little Alex boy has committed :'-)
"But where I itty now, O my brothers, is all on my oddy knocky, where you cannot go. Tomorrow is all like sweet flowers and the turning vonny earth and the stars and the old Luna up there and your old droog Alex all on his oddy knocky seeking like a mate. And all that cal. A terrible grahzny vonny world, really, O my brothers. And so farewell from your little droog. And to all others in this story profound shooms of lipmusic brrrrrr. And they can kiss my sharries. But you, O my brothers, remember sometimes thy little Alex that was. Amen. And all that cal."
Of course, that tenuous bit of immaturity still remains; "profound shrooms of lip-music brrrrrr" and OH MY THAT SASS IN
"Amen. And all that cal."
has GOT TO BE my favourite 5 words out of this entire novel.
The play immediately ended after Alex delivered an insane maniacal laughter, which completely confused me; like why would you want to destroy such a heartwarming paragraph (the above) with that seemingly unrepentant laughter WHY WHY WHY WHAT DOES THAT IMPLY???? The effect left me a little unsatisfied.
