How Does Your "Clockwork Orange"?

You are the American publication of the novel A Clockwork Orange, simply a story about how out of control and horrible the youth has become, the equally as horrible solution the government creates, and how nothing gets solved at the end.

For you, dystopia is unavoidable; everything has to come to an end anyways; and whoever came up with the idea of creating humankind, greedy creatures obsessed with their own emotions and flawed with countless of personality errs, should’ve known what was coming.

You have no faith in humanity and you are just waiting for its destined destruction of civilization. I mean, have you seen the news lately (or just logged into any social media)? Life sucks, but eh, what are you going to do about it? Nothing.

You are the original English publication of A Clockwork Orange: a story of troubled youth, a more troubling attempt at fixing that youth, and failure at fixing the troubled youth. At the end, everything goes back to the normal, with the narrator continuing on his violent, thoughtless ways.

Until… they grow up. They grow up and realize their wrongs. The 21st chapter of the original publication was not published in the American edition (and thus not used in the film adaptation) due to the American publisher convincing Burgess that American readers would not buy into it and rather have it end darkly. The 21st chapter demonstrates the ability to change one’s ways, for the narrator, who is now 21 years old, loses interests in violence and starts thinking about his future.

So, even though there seems to be a loss of control in the environment, a loss of trust in the government, and a loss of compassion for humankind, there is still some hope (right?). Yes, there must be. "The future is a verb, not a noun”.* Meaning, we as a whole have the always have power to mold the future and change the future.

*quoted from this interesting article about bringing together scientists and science-fiction authors to create a more optimistic view on the future and create solutions to dystopian problems.

You are Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation of the American version of A Clockwork Orange. Honestly the themes and messages don’t really matter that much to you. But did you see what those lads are wearing?! And their use eyeliner is revolutionary. Life is too short to think too deeply about things. We are all going to die one day, so why not just have fun now and completely ignore anything meaningful while we still have the time.

You are the English publication of A Clockwork Orange. And the American publication. And the film. Heck, you have read and watched and reread every version of a dystopia ever created. From A Brave New World, to 1984, to The Hunger Games, you are a master of dystopian universes. To you, these universes aren’t just works of fiction set in the future to warn our society- these ARE our future.

Government corruption, police brutality, unnecessary poverty, corporation greed, increasing violence, environmental ignorance, and a brainwashed society are just things you see in the news everyday. And if the world is becoming a hell on earth, you have decided that you might as well be sitting on the throne. You refuse to be left in the pits to burn. So you’re scheming and researching and working. Getting ahead. Good for you (kinda).