1st Peel of the Orange

Droogiess… malchicks … gulliver, according to Alex, Pete, Georgie, and Dim, it was just another day on the streets. But to me, the naïve adolescent from a sheltered Bergen County home, it was a test of trying to understand not only the literal meaning of author Anthony Burgess’ words, but also the analytical significance of this work of art. Throughout the novel, Burgess uses a very unique language in conjunction with slang terms to create a mood perfect for portraying a rebellious crew in this basic “crime dystopia”. At first it is surprisingly difficult to understand, but the more you read and see the words in context, the easier it is to comprehend. (Translator)
Alex and his group travel the streets looking to cause raucous and create problems for everyone around. There is no stopping them when they break into homes, steal items, and rape innocent women. There is just no way to control the droogs as they walk the streets on the prowl for a night of mischief and fun. It wasn’t until Pete, Georgie, and Dim decided they had enough of Alex’s controlling ways and basically got Alex caught. After he broke into a home and had some fun with the woman, the police caught him red handed standing over his victim. Seemingly thinking he was “invincible,” Alex was put in prison and could only think about getting back out on the streets as soon as possible. In an effort to get out before his time was up, he decided to become a subject of these new test the government would be running to try and fix the minds of the young criminals- The Ludovico Technique, it was called. (A Deeper Meaning) It was this part in the novel that grabbed much of my attention, and am going to look deeper into it with my first research paper for class. I will be posting interesting parts of it during my research on the topic.


"If a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man."
~ A Clockwork Orange