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The Perplexing Choice in Existence Predicament

Author: LiuHong
Tutor: Li Quanfu
School: Northwest Normal University
Course: English Language and Literature
Keywords: freedom choice responsibility the Other authentic existence
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Type: Master's thesis
Year: 2009
Downloads: 110
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Abstract

Anthony Burgess(1917-1993) is an important British writer of 20th century who is famous for his literary productivity and innovation. A Clockwork Orange is considered as a masterpiece of Burgess’s works. When the novel is published in 1962, it has attracted much attention of many critics and readers. Particularly, the dystopian novella owes much of its popularity to Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film adaptation. By profound moral significance, unique narrative language and technique, Anthony Burgess penetrates into the existential theme of modern man concerning freedom, choice and responsibility, passing his judgment on the man’s predicament of freedom. The issues Burgess explores in this fiction share affinities with what the existentialists elucidate.Concerning the critical responses of this novel at home and abroad, the majority of critics focus their study on the analysis of theme respecting“moral choice”. Some others have a research on his linguistic coinage of“Nadsat”, the inventive slang of the protagonist, Alex. The musical element in the novel is also one of important aspects to study. The thesis attempts to provide a new perspective to analyze the work. Based on the former research and criticism, the study aims to have an in-depth textual analysis of the novel and expound the theme of A Clockwork Orange in terms of existentialism in the following angles: freedom and determinism, choice and responsibility, the hell and the other. The thesis will apply basic Sartrean principles such as freedom, choice, responsibility and the Other to the analysis of the characters’fates in Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange. Furthermore, the study will probe into the profound social significance contained in the novel: the authentic value of life, the existence condition of modern people, the fate and the prospect of human being.The thesis consists of four parts:The first part is the introduction, in which the general view of Burgess’s literary career firstly, secondly the story of A Clockwork Orange is summarized. It also reviews the present study of Burgess’s masterpiece A Clockwork Orange at home and abroad. And then gives the reason why this subject is chosen and the significance of the study.The second part deals with the theory basis of the study. First of all, it presents the brief introduction of Existentialism as an important philosophical and literary school in 20th century. Then it concentrates on the Sartrean existentialism, including his major ideas and his elaboration of five existential concepts to be used in the thesis. The third part is the interpretation of A Clockwork Orange from the perspective of Existentialism. This part is composed of three sections. The first one is“Freedom and Determinism”and it reveals Burgess’s perception of the opposition of freedom and determinism in the absurd world of near future. The theme is embodied by the protagonist, Alex’s experience in the book’s first chapter. Alex, as a young leader of the hoodlums, is indulged in violent crimes and at the same time obtains the aesthetic pleasure from the classical music as well as from his evil deeds. He speaks in the unique“Nadsat”, a Slavic-rooted slang to narrate his own story. Therefore, Alex’s personality is analyzed from the three aspects—the violence, the language and the music. All of the three elements as his“living codes”construct the cubic image of Alex, he proves his“authentic being”and realizes free will by means of violence and art. But his overwhelming freedom shakes the stability and challenges the deterministic forces, consequently, the contradiction between the two forces is a must. The second section is“Choice and Responsibility”. Alex could not escape the responsibilities accompanying with his choices. If“man is condemned to be free”, he should shoulder the“condemned”responsibility. The three choices bring different responsibility and have the various impact on his life. The last section is“Hell and the Other”.“Being-with-others”is another focus of existentialism, and Burgess also mentions the inter-human relationship full of mutual torment and aguish in the novel. After experiencing the relationships with F. Alexander, Dim, prison chaplain and Dr. Brodsky, Alex finds out that one’s freedom is always inscribed within the freedom of the other,“hell is the other people.”The structure of the novel is ABA pattern, which is a cyclic course for man’s quest for freedom. Freedom is human being’s sacred right. To be free, man should make a choice, but shoulder the corresponding responsibility. No matter which moral choice one makes, the evil or the good, the important is the freedom of choice. In a sense, Burgess shares the identical underpins of Sartrean exist existentialism.On the basis of the above three parts, the conclusion of the thesis arrives at: the analysis of the existential elements in A Clockwork Orange are beneficial for us to understand the intention of the author and the realistic significance of the novel. By reviewing Alex’s extraordinary experiences in seeking authentic freedom, the writer finds out that Burgess philosophical thoughts have similarities with the existentialism theory and the existential theme lies in this didactic novel: to pursue the freedom of authentic being, man should make a sensible choice and shoulder the profound responsibility. Facing the absurd world full of anguish and frustration, man should make an authentic choice between good and evil, but the premise is that the freedom of choice should be guaranteed and cherished, otherwise, as Burgess said, he is a clockwork orange—having the appearance of an organism lovely with color and juice, but in fact a clockwork toy to be wound up by God,or the Devil or the Almighty State. In a word, the novel is not only embodies Sartre’s core viewpoint of existentialism“freedom”, but also reflects Burgess’s philosophical exploration into the authentic meaning of human existence and reveal his ultimate thoughts of modern people. Furthermore, Burgess points out the acute social problem in the novel: when human being is stranded in the existence dilemma and is confused to make a sensible choice, when he is confronted with the surrounding of existence, how should he choose: to face actively and to escape passively, to accept full responsibility of his choice and to surrender himself to the absurd world? The pondering of the problem still has instructive meaning and will enlighten us permanently.

The Perplexing Choice in Existence Predicament

Abstract

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