A Clockwork Orange: a Critical Analysis
Nadsat Language in A Clockwork Orange
Anthony Burgess's writing style in his most famous novel, A Clockwork Orange, is different to say the least. This novel is praised for its ingenuity, although many are disturbed by Burgess's predictions for the future. However, for many, it is close to impossible to comprehend without outside help. This is because Burgess created a language specifically for this novel, called Nadsat. This Russian-based language forms conversations between the narrator, Alex, and his teenage, delinquent friends. There are many assumptions as to why Burgess chose to complicate A Clockwork Orange by filling it with the confusing Nadsat language. Some opinions are that the language shows A Clockwork Orange readers where Alex and his "droogs" were located socially in society, or that Burgess was attempting to brainwash his audience, just as the authority figures brainwashed Alex and other members of their community, or finally, to show the shift from immature, young adults to normal, mature people. While it may not be clear to the audience why Burgess used Nadsat in A Clockwork Orange, it is easy to see that the different language adds character and depth to the novel. Alex and his friends, Pete, Georgie, and Dim, are different from the rest of the society in Burgess's novel. Not only are their actions of rape, murder, and theft out of the ordinary, but their dress and speech are unique only to their breed of adolescents. These differences are apparent to the reader immediately, and even before an act of crime is Terry 2 committed by the gang of "droogs," it is obvious that they are looked down upon in society. Alex and his friends know that they are looked down upon, and this is clear in a line in which he is describing the jackets the boys choose to wear. "Then we wore waisty jackets without lapels but with these very big built up shoulders (pletchoes' we called them) which were a kind of a mockery of having real
Anthony Burgess's writing style in his most famous novel, A Clockwork Orange, is different to say the least. This novel is praised for its ingenuity, although many are disturbed by Burgess's predictions for the future. However, for many, it is close to impossible to comprehend without outside help. This is because Burgess created a language specifically for this novel, called Nadsat. This Russian-based language forms conversations between the narrator, Alex, and his teenage, delinquent friends. There are many assumptions as to why Burgess chose to complicate A Clockwork Orange by filling it with the confusing Nadsat language. Some opinions are that the language shows A Clockwork Orange readers where Alex and his "droogs" were located socially in society, or that Burgess was attempting to brainwash his audience, just as the authority figures brainwashed Alex and other members of their community, or finally, to show the shift from immature, young adults to normal, mature people. While it may not be clear to the audience why Burgess used Nadsat in A Clockwork Orange, it is easy to see that the different language adds character and depth to the novel. Alex and his friends, Pete, Georgie, and Dim, are different from the rest of the society in Burgess's novel. Not only are their actions of rape, murder, and theft out of the ordinary, but their dress and speech are unique only to their breed of adolescents. These differences are apparent to the reader immediately, and even before an act of crime is Terry 2 committed by the gang of "droogs," it is obvious that they are looked down upon in society. Alex and his friends know that they are looked down upon, and this is clear in a line in which he is describing the jackets the boys choose to wear. "Then we wore waisty jackets without lapels but with these very big built up shoulders (pletchoes' we called them) which were a kind of a mockery of having real
Cited: Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange (New York: W.W. Norton & Company). Craik, Roger. " 'Bog or God ' in A Clockwork Orange," ANQ Vol. 16 (2003): 51-54. Coleman, Julian. "Burgess ' A Clockwork Orange," Explicator Vol. 42 (1983): 62-63. Davis, Todd F. and Kenneth Womack. " 'O my brothers ': Reading the Anti-Ethics of the Pseudo-Family in Anthony Burgess 's A Clockwork Orange ," College Literature Vol. 29 (2002): 19-36. Ingersoll, Earl. "Burgess ' A Clockwork Orange," Explicator Vol. 45 (1986): 60-62. Rabinovitz, Rubin. "Ethical Values in Anthony Burgess 's Clockwork Orange," Studies In the Novel Vol. 11 (1979): 43-50.