Anthony Burgess and George Orwell are considered by many to be among the greatest
fiction writers of modern time. Both authors are particularly famous for their depictions
of political dystopias, in their respective novels, ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and ‘Nineteen
Eighty-Four’. These works have a number of similarities reflecting the author’s ideas of
the dystopia, though there are also a number of differences relating to the style in which
the texts are written and the dystopias themselves. These similarities and differences can
be attributed to the upbringing of the authors, as well as the ideas presented by society at
the time of writing. The key similarity between the novels is that both Orwell and
Burgess are attempting, through the medium of fiction, to demonstrate how society might
turn out if certain modern issues are not tackled.
These issues form the basis of the idea of a dystopia – the condition of a nation or region
- and the characteristics which might give rise to the dystopia, strongly influence its
development. Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’, written soon after the Second World
War, was heavily influenced by his involvement in the Spanish Civil War and experience
of Stalin’s Russia. Orwell was worried, with good reason, that the world he saw was in
grave danger of becoming a totalitarian, one–nation state, controlled by a corrupt
government who cared more for economic benefit than for its citizens. Indeed, within the
novel we can perceive a number of references to Orwell’s real belief in the imminent
danger of such a state. ‘Big Brother’, for example, who is portrayed as the leader of ‘The
Party’ is a sinister figure with a mythical air who supposedly controls the party and
therefore the state. ‘He’ is a clear comparison to Joseph Stalin, leader of the world’s
predominant Communist state – the U.S.S.R. Stalin’s Russia has a number of marked
similarities to Orwell’s envisaged dystopia, including the eradication of persons
considered undesirable by the government. Such people are wiped from all records and
photographs thus creating the impression they never existed – a tactic employed by Stalin
to cover up the execution of those who ‘fell out of favour’. These people became known
as ‘nonpersons’, which is reflected in ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ through the image of
‘unpersons’ – those who have been removed from society, by the party, for committing
‘thoughtcrime’ - the idea of conspiring against the ‘Party’ through the their thoughts.
Orwell’s idea of dystopia focuses strongly on the idea of the world being dominated by a
single political figure head – ‘Big Brother’ – who uses governmental corruption to keep
an ailing population in check.
Burgess, on the other hand, was more concerned about how people within a damaged
society would contribute to the rise of a dystopia. Having fought in the Second World
War, Burgess saw how an already damaged society could be easily influenced by a
political dictatorship. Post World War One Germany was left vulnerable to socialist
uprising, spearheaded by the Nazi party who convinced a battered and bruised nation that
persecution of minorities and world domination was the key to reinstating Germany as a
world superpower. Indeed, the youth portrayed in ‘A Clockwork Orange’ could be a
disguised nod to German youth organisations such as Hitler Youth. While Alex and his
droogs’ actions are not ordered or encouraged by the government, the government’s lack
of control over society greatly influences their way of thinking. The behaviour of the
youth, envisaged by Burgess, may also be reflective of the state of affairs in many
nations, following the conclusion of World War II. In many countries once controlled by
Nazi Germany, a lack of governmental control gave rise to looting and mass violence. ‘A
Clockwork Orange’ focuses on the idea that without strong control of society,
governments and indeed their nations, can find themselves in a particularly dangerous
position.
Despite holding quite different opinions on the idea of the dystopia itself, both Burgess
and Orwell share the view that a dystopia would be best seen from the lowest level –
through the eyes of ordinary people caught up in the dystopian society. Considering the
complexity of the themes addressed within both novels, it is vital that both texts have a
clear and relatable character, to guide the reader through the unfolding events and ensure
we understand the author’s message.
First impressions are central to the establishment of a relatable and understandable
character. The opening sequence in ‘A Clockwork Orange’ involves the reader being
introduced to the novel’s protagonist, Alex. Alex is fifteen years old but, through his
speech and actions, it immediately becomes clear that he could easily be perceived as
much older. This is, in part, due to the fact that he seems to be recounting his story, as
opposed to telling it first hand and by the novel’s end it is clear that he is at least eighteen
at time of writing. It is this maturity which, combined with an engaging first person
narrative, attracts the reader to the protagonist. This initial attraction, combined with
Alex’s interaction with the reader through the use of, “O, my brothers”1, allows the
reader to overlook the atrocities committed by Alex and his friends or ‘droogs’ as they
are known in the created language, Nadsat.
The notion of sympathising with Alex rather than his victims seems remarkable – it is
certainly unexpected – but it is the mark of an engaging writer, who understands the
feelings associated with reading the novel. By introducing the strong and binding
emotion of sympathy at such an early stage, Burgess is able to control his readers and
subject us to a number of otherwise unimaginable scenes with little danger of our being
repulsed. Despite the graphic events depicted and the gruesome crimes committed by
Alex and his droogs, the reader cannot help but feel for Alex during his time in prison
and certainly throughout his use as a guinea pig for the Ludovico technique in which he is
subjected to horrific images in an attempt to purify his mind and make him ‘good’.
Despite Burgess portraying Alex as a monstrous being who has no regard for the welfare
of anyone but himself – even cutting ties with his parents at one stage – the reader cannot
help but blame the government for his atrocities. It is this fact that Burgess is so keen to
portray. Whilst reading the novel the reader is compelled to believe Alex is not in the
wrong and is, in fact, a victim of mistreatment at the hands of the government. This
belief is mostly due to the early characterisation that built up such strong feelings of
sympathy for the protagonist. While the government must take some of the blame (they
did essentially subject Alex to torture after all), Burgess is keen to point out that people
within a dystopian regime share an equal blame for allowing the country to fall to the
lows it has hit. It is very easy to identify a position of power as a source of problems, but
much harder to place the blame on yourselves. Throughout the novel the reader has been
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‘conned’ into supporting the protagonist and resenting the government for torturing him.
Reading deeply into the final chapter - controversially missed out in American
publications and the Stanley Kubrick film – it does not portray a young man who has
realised the error of his ways and wishes to lead a normal life. Instead it reveals a young
man who, on the surface, wishes to change but inside remains the character who
committed rape and murder and assault and who, in essence, is as close to absolute evil as
is imaginable. The ending ridicules those who sympathised with the protagonist and
despised the government. It lulls readers into a false sense of security and punishes them
for it. Importantly it also delivers the most important message in the novel. Dystopia is
in the hands of the people.
While Burgess uses sympathy to lull us into a false sense of security, Orwell uses it to
build up our feelings of hatred towards the government. In contrast to ‘A Clockwork
Orange’, ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ is delivered in third person, leaving the reader less
personally attached to Winston than they might have been to Alex. The fact that we are
unable to immediately relate to the protagonist actively encourages us to concentrate on
the developing dystopia rather than becoming too concerned about the protagonist
himself. Despite Orwell’s clear belief that our understanding of the dystopia is
paramount, he still portrays Winston in such a way that sympathy is almost certain to
develop. From the earliest description we begin to feel Winston’s pain and receive a
glimpse into the life of a man living in a fast developing, dystopian society. “The flat
was seven flights up, and Winston, who was thirty-nine and had a varicose ulcer above
his right ankle, went slowly, resting several times on the way”2, immediately conveys an
image of poor health which, in turn, demands sympathy from the reader. Indeed, the
name Winston Smith has its own connotations, particularly to the British reader. The
name ‘Winston’ carries with it the immediate relation to Churchill and all that he
represented, while Smith is considered to be the plainest and most common of all English
names. This combination of ordinary with extraordinary implies a sense of irony and
also a sense of unease. The description of Winston’s home as ‘Victory Mansions’, also
lends itself to irony, as the opening scene gives the impression of anything but victory –
indeed Winston seems on the brink of defeat.
As a result of the bleak outlook conveyed by the initial scene setting, Winston does not
seem to be all that promising a prospect in terms of becoming the novel’s hero. His
meagre physical appearance and his apparent defeatist mindset emphasises his
ordinariness – a point that Orwell is keen for us to understand, for his main point is to
demonstrate the effect of dystopia on the ordinary people of the world. Despite the
somewhat shabby image of Winston, the detail and meticulous observation associated
with the narrative suggest that he is unusually sensitive to his surroundings. This
association with the world in which he lives makes Winston instantly relatable, since all
his feelings and perceptions are the vehicles of narration. The novel is written in an
almost conversational tone drawing us in and, in doing so, suggesting that this
environment is one of which we are familiar. Orwell, like Burgess, is attempting to lull
us into a false sense of security – he is expecting the reader to think ‘this isn’t so different
to our life, we can relate to this’. At the same time the environment is conspicuously
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unfamiliar due in part to the sinister undertones embedded in our subconscious following
the opening scene. Winston’s harrowing and horrific account of the ‘Two Minutes Hate’,
we reveals that his world is nothing like our own and is in fact a terrifying and
horrendous prospect. The relatable nature of Winston and his seemingly ordinary
persona conspire to convince the reader that his world is no different to our own. In
many ways it is not so different – a point that Orwell is keen to convey. The line between
our real society and Orwell’s created one is very thin, emphasised and hammered home
by the ordinary nature of the protagonist.
The sense of sympathy towards the protagonist in both novels is not only used to give the
texts a relatable nature. Being sympathetic towards a character increases our awareness
of their situation and encourages us to remain supportive of them at all times. This is
especially important when it comes to the central theme of the novels, namely the idea of
psychological control.
The main enforcers of psychological control in Nineteen Eighty-Four are the Thought
Police. They act as the eyes and ears of the Party and are therefore able to watch and
listen to all inner and outer party members through the use of telescreens. The telescreen
is described as, “an oblong metal plaque like a dulled mirror which formed part of the
surface of the right-hand wall”3 and, according to Winston, it allows the Thought Police
to see into anyone’s home, at any time. As a result no action can possibly go unnoticed
leading to a society full of fear and paranoia. The party attempts to control the words and
actions of Oceania’s (Oceania being one of three new world zones along with Eastasia
and Eurasia) citizens through the use of telescreens and by encouraging the youth to
report suspicious behaviour to the authorities – it is even considered honourable to hand
your parents in if they were perceived to be ‘conspiring’ against the party. While the
party is concerned about the impact of inappropriate words and actions, it is even more
concerned by the thoughts associated with undermining the party and of rebellion. The
act of thinking anything other than good thoughts about the party is labelled as
‘thoughtcrime’ which is a particularly serious crime – as Winston puts it, “Thoughtcrime
does not entail death: Thoughtcrime IS death”4. The presence of the Thought Police and
the idea of thoughtcrime have a profound influence on both Winston and the text’s other
characters, specifically Winston’s lover Julia. On the whole, the people of Oceania are in
a state of paranoia created by the overwhelming presence of psychological control.
Winston’s reaction to the party’s thought control is slightly different to the majority,
however. He is certainly not as paranoid as a high proportion of the population seem to
be, though still feels it necessary to conform in order to appear ‘normal’, “Of course he
chanted with the rest: it was impossible to do otherwise. To dissemble your feelings, to
control your face, to do what everyone else was doing, was an instinctive reaction”5.
Despite Winston’s conformity, which he must portray to avoid detection, the attempts of
the party to control his mind have a further effect on him – an uncontrollable desire to
rebel. In a defiant act of freewill, Winston writes a diary, recounting his hate for the
party. While “this was not illegal… …it was reasonably certain that it would be punished
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by death”6 – this alarming statement adds to the sense of helplessness, seemingly felt by
the citizens of Oceania. The Thought Police and what they stand for also have a
profound effect on Winston’s lover, Julia. Working in the fiction department at the
Ministry of Truth, Julia is portrayed as a loyal and hardworking outer-party member, who
is also a member of the party’s anti-sex league. This expectation that all women should
be prim and proper instils feelings of rebelliousness within Julia and is part of her reason
behind joining Winston in his search for the brotherhood – the secret organisation who
are said to be fighting the party. Despite Julia’s apparent eagerness to support Winston
backed up by the note he receives from her stating, “I love you”7, there is some
suggestion that she may, herself, be an agent of the Thought Police. It is this uncertainty
that Orwell is portraying through the idea of psychological control – in an age where one
organisation has total control over a person, knows exactly where that person is and what
they are doing, the person is likely to become embroiled in deceit and rebellion. To an
extent Orwell’s fear is now reality, though on a lesser scale than that which he forecasted.
Big Brother, the reality TV show, whose name is of course derived from ‘Nineteen
Eighty-Four’, is an almost exact replica of this idea, albeit in miniature. The effects that
Big Brother has on its ‘housemates’ can be devastating. The effect that this form of
control could have on the world does not bare thinking about.
In contrast to Orwell’s all seeing Thought Police and his ideas of thoughtcrime, the
dystopia envisaged by Burgess lacks any real control over society and this forms the basis
of Alex’s rebellion. Following his rebellion and imprisonment for his crimes, Alex is
subjected to the Ludovico Technique, a psychological method of reformation based on
the idea of Pavlov’s dog, implemented by the government in an attempt to rid the country
of criminals. Prior to Alex’s subjection to the Ludovico technique, his identity is
removed, “going and coming I was 6655321 and not your little droog Alex no longer”8.
This demonstrates the first signs of change as Alex is no longer considered himself – he
is no longer a name but a number. Burgess is here attempting to portray the alienation
associated with psychological reform and the rejection from society that it entails.
Following the death of a fellow inmate and his persistent ‘good behaviour’, Alex is
transferred from his state prison to a brand new reform clinic where he will be subjected
to the Ludovico Technique. The initial look of the clinic offers Alex a false sense of
security – “I was led off to a very nice white clean bedroom with curtains and a bedside
lamp, and just the one bed in it, all for Your Humble Narrator”9 developing a sense of
calm before a storm. Alex is warned about the outcome of his reform by the prison
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chaplain, “When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man”10, but ignores his remark
and considers himself to have made a lucky escape, “Well, Alex boy, little 6655321as
was, you have copped it lucky and no mistake”11. This use of irony emphasises the
unwary attitude of the people – to them or at least a number of them, particularly the
youth, getting into trouble and the entailing punishment is but a game. The Ludovico
Technique itself involves the criminal (in this case Alex) being subjected to scenes of a
graphic and violent nature, with no means of escape. In Alex’s case he is shown films in
which people are brutally assaulted and women are viciously raped. These graphic
scenes, combined with his favourite classical music in the background, have a profound
effect on Alex’s mind resulting in his pleas to “Stop the film! Please stop it! I can’t
stand any more”12. The use of classical music while depicting the horrific scenes is of
key significance in relation to Alex’s character. Classical music was traditionally seen as
an elitist form that was listened to only by aristocrats and other ‘socially acceptable
people’. Following the conclusion of World War Two it was discovered that many high
powered Nazis, many of whom were guilty of crimes against humanity, listened to
classical music. This idea is reflected in Alex’s character and adds emphasis to the
Ludovico Technique – the technique is attempting to rid Alex of all evil by associating all
of his pleasures with the most disturbing and sickening of images. The technique is in
part successful as it essentially rids Alex of his ability to commit violence, but conversely
it affects his mind in an adverse manner.
The affects of the Ludovico Technique are essential to Burgess’s portrayal of dystopian
society. While Alex is no longer able to commit violent acts, he is also no longer able to
think about any form of violence, or listen to classical music, without any feelings of
illness. This is of particular concern due to the nature of the world outside prison – if
Alex were to be attacked he could not defend himself as any thoughts of violence leave
him paralytic with pain. Indeed Alex is pushed to attempted suicide after being subjected
to classical music. While Alex is eventually cured by the government, Burgess is keen to
portray the idea that dystopian governments will stop at nothing to control their citizens,
even if this means resorting to the deprivation of basic rights and abilities. The Ludovico
Technique serves as a stark reminder of the lack of control experienced by a dystopian
population, while Alex’s condition asks us the question – Is it better to be bad than to be
forced to be good? If Burgess and A Clockwork Orange are to be believed then the
answer is a resounding ‘yes’.
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