Lit Circle, deuxieme partie

Section A

This book is incredibly fascinating and haunting, as it not only explores the hidden underbelly of crime that our modern youth is partaking in, but it also glances into the psychology of pathological "evil". It follows an extraordinarily atypical teenage boy, Alex, and his brutally violent and sexually exploitive escapades, and chronicle how his criminal tendencies are an unremovable part of his psyche. Despite very mentally manipulative techniques designed to dislodge all ideas of destructive activity from his brain, Alex is still inclined towards rape and brutality, as well as his other favorite form of violence, virtuoso classical music.
Themes throughout the book include:

• The concept of true criminality- Are humans born with an unremovable sense of violence that is simply buried under society's teachings?
• Is removing criminal tendencies from people though mind-altering techniques ethical? Should the human brain be tampered with in order to eradicate dangerous people from society?
• The line between music and  pure violence
• Is someone who is merely altered to fit into society's norms worth anything as a person?

Section B

Literal Question: Why did Alex return to having a gang after being betrayed in the past?

Bigger Question: Why did Burgess have Alex gradually regain and then lose his passion for violence naturally? Was this intentional to prove a point about human character? If so, what does it prove?

Section C

pg 115: "Delimitation is always difficult. The world is one, life is one. The sweetest and most heavenly of activities partake in some measure of violence- the act of love, for instance; music, for instance."
This quote is very interesting as it probes into the idea that life cannot easily be dividied into good and evil- that many things that are considered to be holy, such as music, can be interpreted in terms of violence.