The classic novel, A Clockwork Orange, written by Anthony Burgess in 1962 is set in a futuristic dystopian society in which the main character, fifteen year old Alex and his “droogs” reside. The diction of the novel consists of a made up slang Burgess created that is referred to as “Nadsat.” Alex the “humble narrator” and anti-hero of the story represents youth violence taking place in his hometown in England.

The novel consists of three separate parts, each demonstrating an important element of Alex’s life; part one shows his life in the midst of his “ultra-violence” era. Part two is about the process Alex goes through while undergoing “The Ludovico Technique”, in order to have his prison sentence dismissed. In part three, Alex is now a freeman, however he finds himself being consistently brutalized by his past victims.

The novel starts off with Alex introducing himself, as well as his three “droogs”, Pete, Georgie, and Dim. After pondering how to spend their evening, the gang of juvenile delinquents set off for their usual habits. The gang’s first encounter in the night is with a “starry schoolmaster type veck”, an older man who was walking alone. Alex and his friends begin taunting the man and ripping up the books he was carrying. Later in the night, they meet a filthy homeless man who belched out drunken lyrics. The man was a picture perfect representation of something Alex disliked, resulting in the group making another attack on an innocent civilian. Alex and his “droogs” later engaged in a fight after crossing paths with a rival group consisting of “Billyboy” and his five “droogs”. Once police sirens could be heard in the distance, Alex’s friends drove through the night on back roads. While driving, the group chose a small cottage to raid, which put a perfect end to the group’s night.

As the story continues, tensions begin to rise within the group due to Georgie and Alex’s feud over leadership, causing Alex to violently shut down anyone who wanted to rebel. Eventually, the “droogs” form a plan to turn on Alex and leave him to be captured by authorities.

Part two of the novel introduces Alex’s new life in prison, where he is sentenced to serve 14 years. Alex’s parents come by to visit him in prison, informing him of Georgie’s death after a home invasion went wrong. Alex showed no sympathy for Georgie, but rather viewed Georgie’s death as fate. Alex initially found life in prison rather difficult, but begins to adjust overtime by finding comfort in reading religious texts. With two years left to serve, Alex is chosen to undergo “The Ludovico Technique”. “The Ludovico Technique” is a treatment that injects the brain with a new sort of drug and includes physical therapy to change criminals’ dangerous mindset. While undergoing treatment, Alex is forced to watch videos of violent acts, which eventually cause him to feel a sick sensation while watching these films. After the treatment is over, Alex becomes physically ill at any thoughts of violence and unintentionally, classical music. Being deemed as no longer a threat to society, Alex is released from prison to continue his life.

The third and final part of the novel begins with Alex’s early release from prison as a completely reformed person. Alex is recognized by his past victims, rivals, and old “droogs”, all of whom are seeking revenge for the pain Alex caused them. Now being a victim to their long lasting grudge, Alex finds himself defenseless due to the affects of “The Ludovico Technique.” Alex finds himself crossing paths with numerous past victims, one of which includes Dim and former rival gang member, Billyboy, who have become police officers over the time Alex has spent locked away. The two men take Alex to the outskirts of town, abandoning him in the middle of nowhere. Alex then ends up at the small cottage of a writer, realizing it is the same cottage he broke into and same man he assaulted back in part one of the novel. The writer does not recognize him since Alex wore a mask when terrorizing the couple, but Alex’s use of slang makes the writer suspicious. He then realizes it is the same boy who assaulted him. The writer locks Alex into a room with classical music playing, making Alex feel so ill that he hurls himself out of a window and later wakes up in a hospital. Alex begins to realize that the effects of “The Ludovico Technique” are beginning to wear off and Alex sees that he can continue causing harm.

The last chapter of A Clockwork Orange begins very similar to the first, with Alex and his new “droogs”, Len, Rick, and Bully, trying to figure out what to do with the night. The novel ends with Alex crossing paths with his old “droog”, Pete, who is now married and has given up a life of crime. The run in with Pete sways Alex to make a change in lifestyle and settle down with someone, having kids and  leaving his old violent ways in the past.

I was disappointed with the last chapter of the book because it seemed very unrealistic that Alex would change his behavior after a simple run in with an old friend. Alex’s character evolution throughout the book transitioned from a period of violence to therapy to confusion. I found the ending to be unconvincing, however the rest of the novel was filled with strong character descriptions and an astonishing plot.