A Clockwork Orange Analytical Essay

A Clockwork Orange Psychoanalytical Analysis The overwhelming majority of one’s actions are controlled by their own subconscious, these actions are controlled by thoughts and beliefs passed down from the moment of birth. Although the entity that controls these desires lies behind what we can consciously perceive, it is by far the greatest factor that controls our decision making process, particularly in sex instinct and aggression. It is not until later that any entity develops to suppress these actions, and if not properly developed, an individual may become harmful to their own society. Such is the case with Alex DeLarge, a character in the British novel A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. Alex’s circumstance and mentality can be explained

As only a 15 year old kid, his typical day consists of drug-laced milk, violent assaults on innocent adults, the murder of rival gang-members (known as droogs), daily break-ins and commercial theft, and rape of nearly any age group. Alex is a kid that is ruled completely by his Id, since he lacked a developmental stage and a properly organized society to develop what same may call a “reputable” ideal self image. His nature and self-image reflect what the environment he was raised in, which was complete chaos and dilapidated violence, which puts Alex at odds with the older generation, who developed their psyche in a time when society reflected different ideals. Although Alex is not known as a typical violent youth, he is one of the infamously violent ones, a ringleader and figurehead of his generation. He even treats his own gang members poorly, beating them up and cutting them with knives to show he’s in charge. This comes back to bite Alex though when he is abandoned by his “friends” and thrown in prison. He feels no fault for the actions that landed Alex here though, and blames all others involved for his situation. This is yet another attribute of the Id, a selfish mind that shows no remorse towards others, and only thinks of itself. Although when Alex was in the hands of the government, an ego and superego were placed inside of him to suppress this Id, which is arguably far