A Clockwork Orange By Anthony Burgess

         What is interesting is how later in the novel, Alex happens upon Alexander's home again, forgetting exactly why it seems so familiar.  Alexander gets his revenge on the poor Alex, who opens up to the horrors he suffered in prison, unknowingly telling Alexander ways to harm him.  Alexander represents Burgess' desire for vengeance; Burgess is able to take out his anger on Alex, a murdering rapist.

In Ken Kesey’s book, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, there were two main characters that were in a battle to have the majority of control over the ward. Throughout the story, they engaged in different acts of stubbornness to see who could display the most power and which of the two could stand their ground the longest without giving in to the other. These two characters were: Randle McMurphy, a new patient who was determined to change the ways of the ward, and Nurse Ratched, the head nurse of the asylum who preferred to have complete control over everyone and everything.

Works of literature innately embody the author’s ideology and the historical context of the given time period. Within the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, the author furthers his ideals against the issue of oppression as he attempts to take stabs against its deteriorating effects and support those who rebel. Set in the microcosm of a small mental hospital, he establishes man’s external struggle to overcome tyranny. At the head of the head of the ward is the corrupted character of Nurse Ratched, who rules with an iron fist and the help of her machine like aides. It also features the nonconformist character, McMurphy, as he works to break Nurse Ratched’s endless cycle of tyranny. Although the novel shifts between the

Finally, at the end of the novel in Part Three, Alex is “cured” and has reverted back to his previous state of having a choice between being good or evil, thus acquiring that sense of free will once more.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, written by Ken Kesey, was a very successful novel which was impactful on the world in the past, and still is today. Ken Kesey, a big believer in individuality and the freedom to be oneself, brought new meaning to the world of psychiatry that changed treatments forever. This book didn’t just affect American society, it had a global impact. All around the world there are people that are admitted into mental institutions, and this book changed treatments in these facilities. The novel also raised awareness of the psych ward culture in which this book took place.

The Ludovico technique that is used on Alex is an example of how immoral practices are used in this world. With this technique, he is injected with drugs to mess with his brain biologically. He is then forced to watch disturbing movies, which enhance the drugs previously injected into him to make him feel sick. The goal of this is to make him revolute at the sight of violence. After the first round of “treatment” Alex says: “ I do not wish to describe, brothers, what other horrible veshches I was forced to viddy that afternoon” (Burgess, 119). Alex, the ultra-violence loving teenager is so shook by what happened to him, he is unable to even explain what he saw. This shows that even the evilest of people can be affected by this practice. The background music that is in the films Alex is forced to watch is of his liking, which angers him because now he will associate the sick feeling with the music he loves. Dr. Branom, talking to Alex about this, says: “’Each man kills he thing he loves, as the poet-prisoner said. Here’s punishment element, perhaps. The Governor ought to be pleased.’” (Burgess,128). The doctors feel no remorse for taking away the pleasure of listening to the music alex likes, which show how other inhumane actions are done, not just in medical

Many times throughout one of Ken Kesey’s most famous novels, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the book uses animals as symbols to represent the story’s plot. The animals usually relate to individual characters and their current struggles within the story. Animal imagery provides us with great insight to the themes that Kesey is trying to have us explore, and is a very good tool that the reader can use to help better understand and relate to the characters.

In the final scene of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Chief Bromden is the main character. The characters that preform in this scene are Chief Bromden, McMurphy, and Nurse Ratched. Even though McMurphy would be considered the main character of the novel, Bromden is the main character of this scene because he shows the strongest desire. In this one scene, Bromden has many desires that to him could be both life or death threatening.

In the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest by Ken Kesey we are taken into the mind of a mental hospital patient who does not seem to cope well with reality. The whole book itself, revolves around the issue of either being sane or not. We are met with the thought of whether the narrator themselves are sane. But when it comes to our world today, we must ask ourselves how can we define someone as insane or sane? If if we can, who should be in charge of saying that they are?

Every person at some point in their lives have felt unusual or out of place. All of us have had both a bully or that one individual that we simply didn 't need to be around or even anybody they knew. Additionally, every person has had that one character they favored, for sticking up for themselves and declaring what they wanted, even though it intended sure punishment. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest by author Ken Kesey, these attributes stick out in the story. A dialogue of the setting, theme, and character situations into the story will help one capture how ones’ feelings fall into line with everyone at the streets nowadays.

The main character Alex Delarge played by Malcolm McDowell is our unreliable narrator. He is a sadistic child who cries when in distress, talks in made up language and engages in acts of sex and violence. He constantly surrounds himself with his “droogs” which means friends. I found Malcolm Mcdowell's performance charming and eloquent in the way he portrays the character of Alex. Alex appreciates art and music especially beethoven appreciates beauty which juxtaposes the sadistic nature of himself.

After Alex undergoes the Ludovico Technique, he stops asking “what’s it going to be then, eh?” only to prove that Alex has lost his free will. Alex’s question that was so prominent disappears and the mere thought of violence makes him physically ill. Dr Branom explains the effects of the technique to Alex : “you are being made sane, you are being made healthy”. The government and the doctors are convinced that they are making Alex “sane” and “healthy”. On the contrary, they are controlling his ability to have a choice in his actions. The doctors are

Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, a critically acclaimed masterstroke on the horrors of conditioning, is unfairly attacked for apparently gratuitous violence while it merely uses brutality, as well as linguistics and a contentious dénouement, as a vehicle for deeper themes.

“What’s it going to be then, eh?” is the signature question in Anthony Burgess’s novel, A Clockwork Novel that not only resonates with the moral identity of the anti-heroic protagonist, Alex, but also signifies the essential choice between free will that perpetrates evil and deterministic goodness that is forced and unreal. The prison chaplain and the writer F. Alexander voice the most controversial idea in the novel: man becomes ‘a clockwork orange’ when robbed of free will and tuned into a deterministic mechanism.

. . there's no law nor order no more" pg 14. He takes on a role of authority in a society of anarchy. Although he is impervious to the choice of good, Alex does not remain ignorant to this choice throughout the entire novel. In the beginning, he believes that violence is the only way to prove his control. This then leads to his loss of control through the loss of his ability of choice. Only in the very end Alex finally become a well-rounded character. He realizes that he does not have to choose evil and abuse his position to prove his right of choice. "But where I itty now, O my brothers, is all on my oddy knocky, where you cannot go. Tomorrow is all like sweet flowers? pg 148. Alex now knows that his future is open for his choices to lead him. For good or for evil, it is his right to decide, and this is what truly proves his freedom of choice.