For this first quarter, my independent reading group has decided to read A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. I have been eager to read this book ever since my father told me that it is one of his favorite (if not his ultimate favorite) books of all time, which is strange when you consider the fact that, as a historian, my father never reads fiction (or at least never enjoys reading it). Along with the high praises this book receives by critics and common readers alike are the intense warnings: incredibly graphic, not for the weak of stomach or of heart, will mess with your mind in so many ways. Whilst delving into the first part of the book I fully understand why this book is practically wrapped in police line tape, as well as why it has had a cult following for fifty years.
The whole first chapter of A Clockwork Orange follows our protagonist (?), Alex, and his "droogs" around town on their typical night of gang-fighting, raping and robbing anyone in sight. While the main focus is on the absolutely repulsive events these young boys are taking part in, I could not stop thinking about when I would be able to get a peek into Alex's home life. I suspected that perhaps he was homeless, but a jump to the next few chapters shows Alex climbing to his family's 10th floor apartment where he is an only child to two seemingly fine parents. The relationship between Alex and his parents is as foggy to the reader at this point as it perhaps is for the people involved in the relationship; the parents seem to be hesitant around Alex and not quite know where they stand in terms of control over him, while Alex seems to know where he stands with them but sees no point in dwelling on the mere existence of the relationship to begin with. There are a few points where Alex hints at maybe having done something to his parents to "teach them a lesson," which is probably what makes them so submissive to a son who is clearly up to no good when he goes out at night. His parents appear to be blind to this side of their son, but at this point the reader can begin to assume that there are unspoken rules set by Alex about testing his limits.
My brother, Peter, and the story's main character are the same age, which causes me to subconsciously relate the two of them. I can assure you that my brother is not a tiny bit as horrible as Alex is, but I can see reflections in the parent-child relationships. My brother has type 1 diabetes and my mother, especially, is incredibly anxious about how he handles it when she's not around. He's really quite good about monitoring it and I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, but there is concern around the possibility of him partaking in drugs and alcohol at some point in his college or, god-forbid, high school career. You might roll your eyes at this, but you have to consider the danger of my brother losing control of his wits or body in any shape or form and suddenly being unable to monitor his insulin levels. If he passes out under the influence of something, his blood sugar could drop to the point where he dies in his sleep. Needless to say, my mother drills this into him whenever the topic comes up and makes as many threats as she feels necessary to making her point. On the other hand, we have Alex, who is probably receiving a lower level of discipline than my brother where he clearly needs a few dozen times more. As a 15 year old rapist, murderer and thief, I'm seeing a slightly stronger need for some whip-cracking on the more fictional of the two teenage boys in question. I'm hoping to learn more about what Alex has done to his parents to make them so submissive to his ways because I can't possibly imagine that they are naturally so irresponsible and cowardly.
I am already eagerly mentally preparing myself for the second part of this book. I am so glad I decided to subject myself to this kind of mind-bending literary experience that I am sure to never forget.
No comments:
Post a Comment