People want to live in a peaceful society. No one wants to be in constant danger or in fear for their lives when they leave the house. But different countries, and even different neighborhoods within those countries, have varying standards of what is deemed an acceptable level of safety, and those standards rise and fall over time.
The society in A Clockwork Orange seems to exist at the very height of depravity. People are afraid to open their doors and the government is scrambling to deal with the problem. But have things gone too far? The movie shows us how difficult it is to reverse course when society seems to be on a downhill slide.
Questions about Society and Class
- What is some of the décor that is commonplace in the film but would be considered obscene in real life? Why is it normal in the context of the movie?
- How do you think society got to this point in the film? Will anything change after the end of the film?
- Why does the writer think the Ludovico technique is a bad thing? Does his opinion line up with the majority of society? Or is he an outsider?
Chew on This
Alex lives in a highly sexualized society that treats women as objects, so he has no guilt over using women for sex, with or without their consent.
The government is concerned more with looking good than in reforming criminals. Their primary goal is votes, not safety.