Literary Criticism for Clockwork Orange Essay Example
Violence, Morality, and Experience
The human psyche contains multiple parts the id, simple desires, ego, morals reasoning, and super ego, conscience. These parts of the mind determine a person’s personality and cause people make the choices they decide to make. In the novel A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess the Freudian concepts of id, ego, and superego are embodied in the protagonist Alex.
Alex’s id affects his decisions and his personality in the novel. Alex’s violent nature causes him to find joy in “devotchkas ripped and creeching against walls, “while, “[he] [plunges] like a shlaga into them” (Burgess 33). Violence is a characteristic of id and specifically a major trait of Alex. Alex enjoys partaking in violent activities and allows it to control his decisions. Whereas staying away from a gang fight involving the “nozh, the oozy, the britva” (Burgess 15), he decides to stay and fight. His id overpowers his judgment and causes him to something very dangerous. His love for violence would not allow him to miss this opportunity to satisfy his hunger for blood thus resulting in him participating in the fight. His id also causes him to make decisions which end up haunting him. As the music begins to play at the bar, Dim starts to insult the music which Alex is so fond of resulting in Alex shouting “Bastard. Filthy drooling manner less bastard”, and” [he] fisted Dim skorry on the rot” (Burgess 28). Alex used violence to get what he wants just like a baby cries. If his ego was not as powerful he might have used words to tell Dim to stop rather than violence. Another characteristic of id that involves Alex is sex. As Alex and his gang break into the cottage labeled home, Alex notices the women of the houses “horrorshow groodies” (Burgess 23) and decides to rape her. Alex’s sexual desire is aroused by these women. Her breasts excite him and cause him to become an animal. Alex’s violent and sexual desires influence is judgment in the
The human psyche contains multiple parts the id, simple desires, ego, morals reasoning, and super ego, conscience. These parts of the mind determine a person’s personality and cause people make the choices they decide to make. In the novel A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess the Freudian concepts of id, ego, and superego are embodied in the protagonist Alex.
Alex’s id affects his decisions and his personality in the novel. Alex’s violent nature causes him to find joy in “devotchkas ripped and creeching against walls, “while, “[he] [plunges] like a shlaga into them” (Burgess 33). Violence is a characteristic of id and specifically a major trait of Alex. Alex enjoys partaking in violent activities and allows it to control his decisions. Whereas staying away from a gang fight involving the “nozh, the oozy, the britva” (Burgess 15), he decides to stay and fight. His id overpowers his judgment and causes him to something very dangerous. His love for violence would not allow him to miss this opportunity to satisfy his hunger for blood thus resulting in him participating in the fight. His id also causes him to make decisions which end up haunting him. As the music begins to play at the bar, Dim starts to insult the music which Alex is so fond of resulting in Alex shouting “Bastard. Filthy drooling manner less bastard”, and” [he] fisted Dim skorry on the rot” (Burgess 28). Alex used violence to get what he wants just like a baby cries. If his ego was not as powerful he might have used words to tell Dim to stop rather than violence. Another characteristic of id that involves Alex is sex. As Alex and his gang break into the cottage labeled home, Alex notices the women of the houses “horrorshow groodies” (Burgess 23) and decides to rape her. Alex’s sexual desire is aroused by these women. Her breasts excite him and cause him to become an animal. Alex’s violent and sexual desires influence is judgment in the