Alex



"'But you, O my brothers, remember sometimes thy little Alex that was. Amen. And all that cal.'"

Alex is the both the central anti-hero in the book version and the villainous protagonist in the film version of 'A Clockwork Orange', the novel is written from his point of view and speech patterns, including repeated words, repetitive uses of the word 'like' and use of Nadsat slang. At the beginning of the novel Alex is 15 years of age, but through the book ages to end up 18. Alex addresses the reader throughout and refers to himself as 'Your Humble Narrator'.

Life
Alex, attended a correction school when he was young, which is why P. R. Deltoid watches over Alex. At the beginning of the novel he lives with his parents in a flat in 'Municipal Flatblock 18a', his parents remain unaware of his current criminal activities. Alex is the leader of a youth gang, or his 'droogies', Alex is left for the police by his 'droogs' who despise his leadership. Alex is arrested and sentenced to 14 years in prison, after killing a woman, however he only serves two year before being selected for a course of aversion therapy: known as the Ludovico's Technique.

After the therapy, Alex is sickened at the thought of violent acts and is forced to act 'good', unintentionally the technique has conditioned him against classical music, however his parents have given him room to a lodger, which tempts Alex into running away and commiting suicide at a library; during this, he is recognized by one of his victims and attacked, he is then rescued by three police officers two being his old droog Dim and a rival gang leader Billyboy (Georgie in the film); the two assault Alex and leave him in the wilderness to cry alone in agony.

Alex wanders to a home of another of his victims F. Alexander (who's wife Alex raped with his gang), although he doesn't recognize him. He looks after Alex with the intention of using his experiences to destabilize the government. F. Alexander realizes who Alex is and with the help of 3 friends forces Alex to try to kill himself by playing classical music, Alex does not die from the fall, and the group is arrested by the government and Alex is offered support by the government in return for his cooperation. Alex is given a job in the 'National Gramodisc Archive', and after talking to Pete who has decided to give up crime and start a family, he does the same.

Appearance
"'The four of us were dressed in the heighth of fashion, which in those days was a pair of black very tight tights with the old jelly mould, as we called it, fitting on the crutch underneath the tights, this being to protect and also a sort of a design you could viddy clear enough in a certain light, so that I had one in the shape of a spider, Pete had a rooker (a hand, that is), Georgie had a very fancy one of a flower, and poor old Dim had a very hound-and-horny one of a clown's litso (face, that is), Dim not ever having much of an idea of things and being, beyond all shadow of a doubting thomas, the dimmest of we four. 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 shoulders like that. Then, my brothers, we had these off-white cravats which looked like whipped-up kartoffel or spud with a sort of a design made on it with a fork. We wore our hair not too long and we had flip horrorshow boots for kicking.'"

Personality
Alex is an intellectual but eccentric boy, often thinking about philosophical topics such as free will and morality; he has unusual tastes for his age and peers enjoying classical music. Alex also elevates his sadistic and sociopathic behavior to the status of art. Alex, like many of his generation with the reduction in the policing effectiveness, he controls a small gang of his 'droogs' who together commit multiple crimes ranging including theft, assault, rape and ultimately murder.

Alex is controlling quelling a rebellion by his droogs to put an end to his dictator like leadership of the group, which he does by fighting first Georgie then Dim, he can think tactically in a fight changing is fighting style while fighting Dim to give himself the advantage.

Film
Alex is very similar in the film as he is in the novel, but his full name is revealed to be Alexander Burgess DeLarge, and he is portrayed to be more manipulative as well as being a victim of sexual abuse from authority figures such as P.R. Deltoid. To decrease controversy, Alex is as well portrayed as being much older, around 18 when introduced, making his age 22, during the film's progression. The final chapter of the book is omitted from the film, consequently, so is Alex redemption, ending on a bitter note, as he is suggested to return to his violent and criminal ways with his sardonic reply:

"'I was cured all right.'"