abuse of power in clockwork or

Alex, the fifteen year old narrator of Anthony Burgess's novel, A Clockwork

Orange, lives in a society where violence reigns. This novel has a very direct

nature, and is often blunt to the point of offense, but this makes it more

powerful and helps to further its point. This point is that everyone is out for

themselves, whether they be the police, government or citizens of this society.

In this book, the police can be just as violent as Alex and his droogs,

or gang. In fact, by the end of the novel, his droogs have themselves become

the police. The police have no qualms about beating people almost to the point

of death as they do with Alex both at the beginning, “...they all had a turn,

bouncing me from one to the other like some very weak bloody ball...and fisting

me in the yarbles and the [mouth] and the belly and dealing out kicks...I [was]

sick...on the floor...” (70) and at the end of the book for no other reason than

they feel like it. “...It was all panting and thudding against this like

background of whirring farm engines...” (150) There seems to be no difference

between the people being beaten by streets punks such as Alex and the police,

old man beats him in revenge. “...starting to deal me malenky weak [hits in my

and then do it for them. One example of this deals with crime. The citizens of

hope for the future with the true change in Alex at the end of the novel.

corrupt cops. “The way that had been cleaned up, there being no longer any

the citizens, police and government never learn. A young woman defends herself

with Alex. Then when the people realize they prefer free will, the government

Some topics in this essay:
Clockwork Orange, Pete Alex's, Corruption Alex, Alex Alexander, Anthony Burgess's, clockwork orange, help alex, alex beginning, police police, people example, themselves police, police government, beating alex, alex droogs, citizens society,