2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
Alex DeLarge is a fictional character in the dystopian film A Clockwork Orange, directed by American director Stanley Kubrick. The film is based on the book of the same name by British writer Anthony Burgess. The author did not specify whether the action of the work takes place in the distant future or in an alternative reality. The plot touches on topics such as sociopathy, a tendency to unmotivated violence, juvenile delinquency and youth protest against established rules in society.
Book by Anthony Burgess
This work by the British writer was published in 1962. The main character and narrator in his novel is a high school student named Alex, who leads a street gang. He lives in a subculture based on extreme violence. For Alex and his accomplices, committing atrocities becomes an end in itself. With the help of criminal acts, they express their disobedience to the authorities. The protagonist's surname remains unknown in A Clockwork Orange. Alex DeLarge was first mentioned in a film adaptation of a literary work.
The specifics of the novel
The book contains numerous shocking and naturalistic scenes that have caused mixed reactions from readers. In addition, Anthony Burgess made a bold experiment with the form of storytelling. The novel is partly written in fictional jargon artificially created by the author himself. In addition to literary talents, Burgess had linguistic abilities and knew several languages. He traveled a lot around the world and shortly before writing A Clockwork Orange he visited the Soviet Union. Perhaps this was the reason that most of the jargon words are borrowed from the Russian language.
In the original text they are written in Latin. Nowhere in the book is there an explanation of their meaning for English-speaking readers. Such a non-standard artistic technique created certain difficulties for the public, preventing them from understanding the content of the novel. However, the writer did not want to abandon the idea of using cryptic jargon, as he sought to emphasize that asocial teenagers live in their own closed world and communicate in a language unfamiliar to other people.
Stanley Kubrick movie
The iconic American director was enthusiastic about the proposal to film the book, which received a lot of conflicting reviews from readers. He wrote a cinematic script, very close to the literary original. Anthony Burgess' reaction was the opposite. He was alarmed by the prospect of scenes of excessive violence being transferred from the book to the screen. However, the writer believed in the talent of Stanley Kubrick and the charisma of the actor Malcolm McDowell, who was chosen for the main role in the film. Unlike the 15-year-old hero of a literary work, Alex Delarge in the film looks noticeably older. McDowell managed to convincingly embody the character of the cult novel on the screen. Alex DeLarge has become a classic villain in a photo from the film.
Director Stanley Kubrick has received many threats and accusations of promoting violence. He was forced to stop filming in the UK.
Beginning of the character's biography
Alex's story can be divided into three parts. The first is about his life with his parents in a dystopian version of British society. During the day, the main character goes to school, and at night he beats, robs and rapes random victims. Alex DeLarge is portrayed as a sociopath who is intellectually aware of the wrongness of his behavior, but unable to change it.
Treatment
The next stage of his life begins after he kills a woman in the process of another robbery. Alex is arrested by the police. The court sentences him to 14 years in prison. The prison administration invites Alex to take part in an experimental treatment in order to get rid of cravings for violence and antisocial behavior. The method consists in developing a conditioned reflex in the patient. If a person who has undergone treatment has a desire to show aggression, he begins to experience severe pain. Alex DeLarge qualifies for parole aftersuccessful completion of the experiment.
Side effect
The third part of the story describes the adventures of the protagonist after his release from prison. Alex discovers that while cured of his violent tendencies, he also loses the ability to defend himself against aggression from other members of society. His parents reject him. People who have been harmed by Alex DeLarge in the past are harassing and beating him. After a failed suicide attempt, he ends up in the hospital. From this point on, the development of events in the film differs significantly from the literary original. In the movie, the treatment wears off and Alex turns back into a violent sociopath. The finale of the book is more optimistic: after a few years, the protagonist grows up and overcomes his destructive tendencies. Alex begins to think that it's time for him to start a family and have children.
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