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Symbols
Christianity encapsulates the ethical dilemma at the core of the novel. The book’s only religious figure, the prison chaplain, is particularly bothered by the way that Reclamation Treatment deprives Alex’s capacity for moral choice. The chaplain worries about the theological implications of this lack of free will: “What does God want?” he asks. “Does God want woodness or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses the bad perhaps in some ways better than a man who has the good imposed upon him?” In contrast to the chaplain’s skepticism about the therapy, Dr. Brodsky asserts that Reclamation Treatment has turned Alex into the “perfect Christian.” Alex even inadvertently compares himself to Jesus, when, after his treatment, he is unable to resist violent treatment from an orderly: “If that veck had stayed I might even have like presented the other cheek.” Thus, the debate about whether or not Alex is truly a Christian extends to the debate about Reclamation Treatment as a whole: is a clockwork man a moral one, or a will-less machine?
Christianity Quotes in A Clockwork Orange
The A Clockwork Orange quotes below all refer to the symbol of Christianity. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 2, Chapter 3 Quotes
It may not be nice to be good, little 6655321. It may be horrible to be good. And when I say that to you I realize how self-contradictory that sounds. I know I shall have many sleepless nights about this. What does God want? Does God want woodness or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses the bad perhaps in some ways better than a man who has the good imposed upon him…You are passing now to a region where you will be beyond the reach of the power of prayer. A terrible terrible thing to consider. And yet, in a sense, in choosing to be deprive of the ability to make an ethical choice, you have in a sense really chosen the good.
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In this important passage, Alex--about to begin scientific treatment that will render him unable to be violent or criminal--meets with the Prison Chaplain once more. The Chaplain warns Alex that he won't enjoy his treatment at all. The Chaplain's other reasons for discouraging Alex from the Ludovico technique are complicated and subtle. As the Chaplain sees it, conditioning violates man's most sacred gift: the gift of free will. God has created human beings with the potential to be wicked: if God wanted, he could have forced men to be good, but he didn't. With the Ludovico technique, the Chaplain believes, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inven
Part 2, Chapter 6 Quotes
And what, brothers, I had to escape into sleep from then was the horrible and wrong feeling that it was better to get the hit than give it. If that veck had stayed I might even have like presented the other cheek.
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Alex has just finished his scientific conditioning, and to test whether the conditioning has worked, a man hits Alex in the face. Instead of fighting back, as Alex was once apt to do, Alex cowers on the floor--he wants to defend himself, but at the same time he feels a deep sense of pain and disgust, the product of his conditioning.The passage includes a sly allusion to a famous Biblical verse, in which Jesus Christ urges his followers to "turn the other cheek" if an enemy hits them. Where Christ wanted his followers to choose to be righteous pacifists, Alex Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea su
Part 2, Chapter 7 Quotes
He will be your true Christian…ready to turn the other cheek, ready to be crucified rather than crucify, sick to the very heart at the thought even of killing a fly.
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In response to the Prison Chaplain's objection that Alex's scientific conditioning has rendered him incapable of making the most basic free decisions, Dr. Brodsky--one of the men responsible for organizing and supervising Alex's treatment--offers a spirited defense. Brodsky, recognizing that the Chaplain is attacking the Ludovico treatment from a Christian standpoint, insists that Alex has become the perfect Christian. Brodsky argues that Alex will be selfless and moral at all times--he'll "turn the other cheek," as Christ urged his followers to do.Brodsky's words are ironic and contradictory on many different levels. As we know very well, Alex's instinct to "turn Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestia
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Christianity Symbol Timeline in A Clockwork Orange
The timeline below shows where the symbol Christianity appears in A Clockwork Orange. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 2, Chapter 6
...fearful feeling that it may be better to receive a blow than to deal one. “If that veck had stayed I might even have like presented the other cheek,” he observes.
(full context)
Part 2, Chapter 7
...To conclude the presentation, Dr. Brodsky claims that Alex has been made into a “ true Christian ” by the treatment.
(full context)
Part 3, Chapter 2
...of decrepit old men. Alex tries to consult some reference books, but finds them impenetrable. He grabs a Bible off a shelf and begins to read it instead , but the accounts of violence threaten to sicken him. Alex is near tears when...
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