In the following essay, Rabinovitz explores the dichotomies that coexist within the protagonist in Burgess's Clockwork Orange.
In his most famous novel, A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess explores a number of interesting issues such as free will, the meaning of violence, and a cyclical theory of history. Resolving these issues, however, is complicated by an extraneous factor: the American editions of the novel lack Burgess' original conclusion and end with what is the penultimate chapter of the first English edition.
A good summary of the deleted section is provided by Burgess himself:
In the final chapter of the British edition, Alex is already
growing up. He has a new gang, but he's tired
of leading it; what he really wants is to have a son of
his ownthe libido is being tamed and.....
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