Ludovico Technique

A Clockwork Orange is a very intriguing novel filled with many deep themes and messages that shed light on keeping society functioning in a controllable fashion. Within this work of art, there is one aspect that grabs my attention and deserves further analysis and research- the Ludovico Technique. It is the method used to try and fix Alex’s violent manner and rebellious nature. He becomes a test subject to the new treatment in an attempt to get out of prison as quickly as possible and return to the life he had previously lived. Alex becomes a guinea pig in the Government’s experiment to fix the minds of the young criminals in society.

Alex undergoes a process that makes him a victim of conditioning by society. He is injected with a serum that creates an extremely ill feeling. Before this actually kicks in, Alex is forced to watch numerous acts of violence and rowdiness along with the playing of the great composer Ludwig Van Beethoven in the background. (It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that Beethoven is actually the one thing Alex finds peace and freedom in throughout the novel up until this point.) So during the sessions, Alex feels the effects of the drugs kick in while he watches the screen of violence, for the government has the hope of creating a “response” within his mind against the terrible things being shown. Session after session, Alex goes through the pain and sick feeling that is beginning to be associated with the rebellious acts.


"Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent."