I was told by a friend who had read the book before that A Clockwork Orange was like George Orwell’s 1984 on ketamine. It turned out to be a fairly accurate description. While the novels differ in many respects, the setting of a not-too-distant dystopian future and the main character becoming incarcerated for a crime and subsequently being robbed of all free will and self-determination by a dehumanizing, totalitarian government were elements both novels shared. Winston and Alex both share a quality of innocence and seem to possess a moral compass that enables them to navigate the murky waters of their societies—even though they take completely opposite routes.
This novel was written during the 1960s and the Cold War, which was beset by anxiety over the tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, the two great superpowers that emerged from the ashes of World War II. The fact that Burgess incorporates Russian and English into his invented language of nadsat suggests that American capitalist democracy and Russian communism are one in the same. Also, that fact that Burgess satirizes the prevalent apathy characteristic of post-war England through his descriptions of Alex’s parents underscores Burgess’s (and Alex’s) disdain for impartiality and apathy because they equate them with inhumanity.
Whoa! I totally never even made the connection between the Russian background in the Nadsat to the Cold War. It is utterly brilliant, however now that you have pointed it out, it is blatantly obvious and I am frustrated for not recognizing it myself. I just figured that Burgess was fascinated by Russians or something along those line. He was a linguist I know that, but the connection to the Cold War is a very logical reason why he would have picked Russian over some other language. Also with Orwell's 1984, I have not personally read it, but many of people (including my mother) who have read both say that they are extremely similar but also completely different. I may have to read 1984 now :)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your comparison to 1984, because I feel as if the dystopian undertones in the novel, created due to the tensions of the cold war are not often commented on. Also, the fact that Burgess uses both Russian and English as bases for Nadsat is an important element that adds a lot of depth by alluding to the cold war tensions. Also, making the connection to democracy and communism being the same is something that I truly believe Burgess was trying to accomplish by the unique language and tone throughout the book. I also believe that Alex is a symbol of something coming of age, similar to the United States and Russia, as they were both beginning to use new forms of government and were coming to age themselves. Both 1984 and A Clockwork Orange, are two of my all time favorite books, and I love the similarities between them.
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