While discussing Stanley Kubrick's film 'A Clockwork Orange', a friend was surprised when I commented that I thought it carried a very religious message. Perhaps Anthony Burgess' religious message was easier to appreciate in the book than in the film, but it is still a strong element. The whole point behind 'A Clockwork Orange' is the Christian doctrine of free will. It can be used to maintain faith in a world that appears godless.
The Christian doctrine of free will states that god allows evil to exist in the world because people must be able to choose their own path. Of course, god could overcome the devil and remove all evil from the world, but that wouldn't work out. Being good by nature is no good; we must have the potential for evil but must choose goodness to get into heaven. When Alexander Delarge undergoes Ludovico's treatment, it renders him unable to perform violent acts; the very thought of violence makes him violently ill. When his forced good behaviour finally results in his attempted suicide Anthony Burgess' point is made; there is no life without free will and god's existence is completely proved, well, not quite.
This is the rhyme and reason behind the title. 'A Clockwork Orange' can only do what the clockwork mechanism dictates, but oranges don't 'do' anything. A clockwork orange is no good to anybody, as is someone with no free will. Free will is a clever explanation of why a god who is supposed to be the epitome of all goodness allows the most ghastly horrors imaginable. The futuristic setting of 'A Clockwork Orange' seems comical now; the outfits and culture seem more part of the 60s than the 21st century. An accurate view of the future was never the intention, and Kubrick camps up the retro/futuristic 'Nadsat' to perfection. Still, it's hard to imagine more stylish outfits for midnight rampages and ultraviolence.
Burgess' argument is ultimately flawed; Alex's self distruction does not demonstrate the necessity of 'free will', just the failure of Ludovico's Technique. Perhaps some other method of persuading violent youths to reform might be found, something without the eye clamps might be more effective. You might be able to develop a decent case around how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, but with no end in sight as far as war and other horrors around the world go, the non god existence of god seems a much more credible explanation than one who insists we exercise 'free will'.
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