A Clockwork Orange is one of Stanley Kubrick’s most iconic works, and a highly controversial one. During its time of release, Hollywood was just transitioning out of the Hays Code Era; extreme violence, sexual perversion, and its morally ambiguous protagonist made it a first of its kind. Nevertheless, A Clockwork Orange has stood the test of time to become a revered piece of cinema, and a relevant work for today’s society. Here is why A Clockwork Orange is more relevant now than when it first released.
Morally Ambiguous Protagonist
Warner Bros. Pictures
Alex DeLarge is inarguably one of the most abhorrent antiheroes in cinema history. A thief, a sexual assaulter, and a murderer, Alex is a commentary on a corrupted youth that will stop at nothing to maintain control of their community. And yet, audiences are left to wonder if Alex is truly a psychopath or merely an impressionable youth influenced by his surroundings. He was born into a politically disjointed society where youths are introduced to violence early on; perhaps he is acting through learned behavior. This is all-too relevant in today’s society, where youth showcase their every move on social media, including morally reprehensible acts and petty crimes. Alex represents the universal concept of good versus evil brewing inside people from a young age, and being one decision away from committing horrible violence.
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Ultra-Violent Society
Warner Bros.
The droogs terrorize everyone from children, adults, to the elderly indiscriminately; Alex is part of a never-ending cycle of violence that extends beyond his age group, and social class, for that matter. After Alex is attacked by the droogs post-conditioning, he seeks refuge in the home of writer Frank Alexander, the same man he attacked years prior. Alexander shows Alex hospitality at first, but his agenda quickly changes upon recognizing Alex’s identity. From drugging Alex’s meal to psychologically torturing him, Alexander is vengeful and violent in his own right, and ironically, robs Alex of his agency. This is representative of today’s society, where violence results in a domino effect where victims turn into aggressors themselves while seeking justice.
A Technologically Oppressive System
A Clockwork Orange illustrates society’s oppressiveness through technological advancements; in this instance, the Ludovico technique was tested on Alex. After a series of hours-long, explicit videos that Alex is forced to sit-through, he becomes intolerant to Beethoven’s symphonies and the idea of sexual contact. Alex is merely a guinea pig for the grand scheme politicians have conceptualized with their Ludovico technique; the technique’s main purpose is to mass condition prisoners such as Alex to make way in prisons for political activists speaking out against the government.
Not just is the Ludovico technique a means to controlling society’s violent youth; it’s a system meant to control any members of society seeking to disrupt or overthrow the established order. In today’s day and age, social media platforms filter content from what is deemed politically correct to offensive. The same rule applies to television networks; what is reported on one channel will be presented in a contrasting light in another channel, despite the events being fixed. The media will shape narratives for self-serving purposes.
Corrupt Government
Alex’s behavior is heavily influenced by his negligent government. In a society where civilians are neglected all across the board by their government, Alex’s age group lacks guidance in differentiating right from wrong, and is left to form its own comprehension of morality and social norms. As consequence, youth become the criminals they observe throughout their daily escapades, and a vicious cycle perpetuates. Parents themselves are relegated to subservient entities within their own homes, such as Alex’s parents, who fear his mere presence and are mentally and physically subdued by Alex routinely. In today’s world, political climates focus their attention towards divisive legislatures; youth is prone to revolt, either through crime or other forms of escapism such as substance abuse.
Subliminal Messaging
A Clockwork Orange is riddled with subliminal messages throughout, notably political oppression and removed physical agency. Alex starts his journey encompassing every psychopathic quality imaginable: murderous, cold-blooded, and unhinged. Nevertheless, society’s retaliation to Alex is equally reprehensible. Alex is rendered incapable of any say in his agency; the droogs physically assault him, Mr. Alexander mentally tortures him, and even the government itself has free-reign over his body and mind, first through the Ludovico technique and lastly by reversing its effect in exchange for Alex cooperating with the Minister of the Interior’s political propaganda. The subliminal messaging extends to other characters as well; Alex’s parents have their agency infringed on when Alex sedates them nightly; Mrs. Alexander has her agency taken away when the droogs sexually assault her; and political agency is threatened as a whole; the Ludovico technique’s main purpose is to minimize uprisings by incarcerating political activists, silencing their voices and anyone attempting to follow their footsteps.
Subliminal messaging extends to the film’s use of sexual imagery; from the droogs lair adorned with naked mannequins; the copious instances and implications of sexual assault, and the Ludovico technique, which is a series of sexually violent content. The exhaustion of sexual content throughout A Clockwork Orange emulates sexual desensitization; see something enough, its taboo nature will lose effectiveness. The same effect applies to the film’s use of violent crime; by its climax, Alex’s torture at the hands of Frank Alexander is effective only because it’s a new form of presented violence; physical violence has already been normalized within the film’s narrative. A Clockwork Orange is ultimately a precautionary tale of how a government equipped with advanced technology can subjugate society, either through overt sexualization or instilled violence towards its people.
