Review of A Clockwork OrangeAs an avid reader of political fiction, I found A Clockwork Orange to be one of the best books of that genre I have read. It is well written with a fast-paced, engaging plot and complex character development. Not only did this book hold my interest it also had an import social message to deliver.This novel is a futuristic story about what could happen in a society where people rebel against a totalitarian government in anarchist ways. It also has a sub-theme that questions whether people can truly be considered moral if they are brainwashed or forced to behave as if they are, rather than doing so by choice.In this story the government tries to reform Alex, the main character, by compelling him to follow society's rules against his will. He is a fifteen year old boy whose main interests in the beginning of the book are committ ...view middle of the document...
At the same time he begins to realize that he has a positive side to his nature. The rest of the book deals with Alex's internal struggle between his violent side and his moral side, as well as whether society has the right to prevent people from making choices according to their own free will.Among the strengths of this book are that it has excellent character development and an attention-grabbing plot. The author describes the character so well I felt like I knew him as a friend. Because of this, I empathized with Alex's struggles. For example, I felt angry when he was so brainwashed he couldn't even leave his room at night because he might witness an act of violence, and this would cause him to become so physically ill he would fall on the floor in agony. Right from the start of the book, the author uses such powerful description that I almost felt like I was there witnessing the events in the story. The plot moves quickly and is full of action. The book is so well written it is nearly impossible to put down.Although A Clockwork Orange is an excellent book overall, I think it does have one main weakness. To me, the author's use of a made-up language, which he calls "Nadsat," makes the story more difficult to read. I know the author does this to show differences between the older and younger generations in the society he is describing. However, this was often confusing for me, and I had to read passages more than once. At first, this broke my concentration and interfered with my involvement in the book. Later, I got used to it and did not find it as distracting, but I still don't think it was essential. Other than this, I wouldn't change anything in the book.This book is an outstanding example of what can happen when either totalitarianism or anarchy rule a society. It shows how neither extreme works well. The story also makes a strong statement about the need for people to exercise freewill in their lives. I think almost everybody would enjoy A Clockwork Orange, especially those interested in political fiction.
