Clockwork Orange - revise

I watched the Clockwork Orange movie first then read the book.

I understand why Clockwork Orange is out there but people don't really want to call it Science fiction. Burgess has set up this sub culture in England that truly never existed. I guess people want to call it a science fiction because so much of the book is invented. The culture, slang, and Ludovigo treatment are all made up. It's essentially a different world. But i wouldn't call it sci-fi because the author was just trying to make a point. It's not about science it's about the fear of youth. There's a lot of symbolism in the book.

According to the forward the reason why Burgess constructed such a unique world was because he wanted the book to be timeless. He didn't want it to be dated. Which is why Alex listens to classical music because it's already proved as timeless. And when modern music is referenced it's done vaguely without names. He invented a new form of slang because using current slang could also be dated. This is why he created a new world.

One thing i know a lot people complained about in the book was the Nadsat or the slang. That it was easier to understand in the movie listening to someone use than reading it. I had a little trouble with it at first but since the slang is based of slavic words I had little trouble with it (I'm slavic myself.) But it's clever because it's not just using words from another language but incorporating into another language. Like the word "ruka" (which means hand) is turned into "rooker" in Nadsat. It's an englishified version. It's really clever. "Ptitsa" means "bird", but in england "bird" is slang for "girl" so "ptitsa" is "girl." Burgess uses words in this book to hold so much meaning. Take the droogs, though their name isn't explained to have a meaning "drug" (pronounced droog) means again or another. The title of the experiment Ludovigo is not just a reference the Ludvig van Beethoven. The word "ludo" means crazy. I can only imagine the other secrets hidden in the words of this book but I really enjoyed.

According to the forward, one of the reasons why Burgess used so much Nadsat was because he really didn't like violence. Which is funny because this is a very very very violent book. Maybe he though he was censoring himself that way, but smashing your noga into some veck's zoobies still sounds pretty violent. This feature was lost in the movie because the audience didn't need to interpret anything, they'd just see Alex kick some guy in the teeth.

I should discuss the ending because it's very different in the book. In the movie, Alex is "cured" of the sickness and it's implied he returns to his old ways. The book continues after this scene. Alex with a fat check from suieing Ludovigo does return to his old ways and even gets a new crew of droogs (I think the meaning of "another" is working here. Imply that since the beginning there's be another set of droogs) and even though ultraviolence doesn't make him sick anymore he just not satisfied. He's also the oldest member of the new droogs while previously he was the youngest. Quite simply that things Alex did as kid just doesn't interest anymore, he wants to be an adult. Alex basically grows up and leaves behind the childish world of the droogs while yearning to be a responsible adult. The movie ending is visually satisfying but it loses this message.

I think age and youth are very important in this book. Alex was always the youngest everywhere, with the droogs, robbing the elderly, in prison, and among the scientists. The only time he was with younger people was with the two "ptitsa" who he didn't understand at all and with the new droogs, whom he disliked. Alex seemed to have a disdain for generations that weren't his own.