If you were able to read through all that, then you’re a masochist. So the above is a small sample of invented slang, called ‘nadsat’, which you’ll encounter in Anthony Burgess's book A Clockwork Orange. According to Burgess, it is primarily based on Slavic languages, with a bit of cockney slang thrown in as well. Apart from sounding nifty, his inclusion of these invented words serves a number of purposes such as adding another layer of depth and believability to this world and his characters, as well as emotionally distancing the reader from the horrors committed by the protagonists. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The story takes place in a not too distant future, and the world is a bleak dystopia, infested with a violent youth, battered citizens, and a repressive government keen on gaining full control of the populace. The protagonist, Alex, is an intelligent, charismatic and hyper-violent young teenager; he’s the self-appointed leader of his gang of three friends, and they spend their nights brawling, stealing, raping, and assaulting anyone they fancy. His submissive parents don’t know or are either too afraid to discipline him and the rest of society knows full well to stay out of their way. When his friends begin to show signs of mutiny, however, Alex asserts his dominance by orchestrating a break-in at a rich spinster’s house; unfortunately, the plan goes awry, and he is arrested and convicted of her murder. After serving two years at the State Jail, he is offered a peculiar proposition: he’ll be given his freedom in two weeks, if he agrees to undergo an experimental therapy that will “cure” him of his violent tendencies. He agrees, doubting its efficacy, and is released. Alex is remiss to discover that the treatment actually worked, and too well: he has lost the inability to fight even for self-preservation, he cannot have sexual encounters (for the act itself is aggressive, apparently), and he has lost the ability to listen to classical music, his greatest pleasure. Not only is he not able to do these things, but he becomes physically ill when he does attempts to do so. Ultimately, he tries to commit suicide, survives, and is rehabilitated by the government in an effort to remove culpability and remain in power.
So what did Alex’s therapy actually entail? In the book the treatment is called the Ludovico technique. Essentially, the subject is strapped into a chair, their eyes are taped open, and they are forced to watch a number of graphically violent scenes on a screen. Prior to this however, the individual is injected with a nausea-inducing chemical; once the person is in the chair watching the films, they start to feel weak and sick. After two weeks of the injection/movie pairings, nausea and physical illness is induced by watching (and engaging in) the aggressive acts alone, without the aid of the injection. Interestingly, the Ludovico technique is well known in psychology as aversion therapy. Aversion therapy is based on the principles of Pavlov’s classical conditioning; an event that is physiologically arousing (unconditioned stimulus [US]) elicits a response (unconditioned response [UR]). If this event is paired with a neutral event (conditioned stimulus [CS]) a sufficient number of times, then the neutral event will elicit the same physiological response (conditioned response [CR]). In this case, the therapists want the subject to feel sick (UR) during presentations of violence (CS); so they pair the film with a nausea-inducing agent (US) for 2 weeks; this is a sufficient amount of time for Alex to feel ill (CR) during moments of aggression (CS), without the aid of the chemical (US). This is really a simplified way of looking at it, since violence should, in itself, be physiologically arousing. Therefore, what is really happening is that a new association is learned and supersedes the old one; no longer is violence physiologically pleasing, but nauseating and painful. Unfortunately for him, the film’s score was comprised of classical music, especially Mozart and Beethoven; this also formed an association (in a process called ‘generalizing’) and Alex would feel sick when he heard his beloved music. For a while, aversion therapy was a viable option for treating addiction, particularly to drugs and alcohol. One type of treatment would be to pair alcohol and an emetic, which would (theoretically) lead to a decrease in alcohol consumption. More controversial, the technique was also used to “cure” homosexuality when homosexuality was considered a psychological disorder. More recently, the American Psychological Association has concluded that aversion therapy is dangerous and the side effects far outweigh whatever therapeutic effects the treatment may have.
Apart from psychological theory, Burgess touches on a number of themes, such as society’s moral decay and the insidious governmental influence on personal freedom. Indeed, it appears that Burgess believes that a great number of external influences can lead to the dehumanization of the individual. His most pervasive theme is the concept of free will: do we become less than a person if our ability to exercise free will is removed? Do we become like the eponymous “clockwork orange:” a sweet, succulent-looking fruit on the outside, but all gears and cogs whirring on the inside? Does that make it any less of an orange? The issue presented here is encumbered by ethical considerations as well. Presumably, this behavioral manipulation is devised in order to decrease violence and aggression: is this not an advantage to society? If violent individuals show no sympathy and respect to their peers, why should we show them the same concern? But it is dangerous territory, assuming the authority to assign differences in value to persons. This is a complex moral and ethical dilemma, one which I think doesn’t really have an answer.
A Clockwork Orange is an engrossing read, one that will put you ill at ease and make you consider what it means to be human.
My rating: 5 out of 5 flashing britvas.
*There are nadsat dictionaries online. You could translate the first paragraph, if you’re so inclined.
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