The structure of A Cl
ockwork Orange is based upon three parts. There are seven chapters in each part. Three sections + seven chapters per section = twenty one total chapters. The number of chapters is intentional by Anthony Burgess. Human maturity is symbolized by the number 21, according to Anthony Burgess’s introductory remarks. The book’s number of chapters is no accident; it is intentionally so, and hints of adult responsibility.
As you read through Part Three you should start to notice a kind of structural symmetry. Each chapter in Part Three has something in common with its mirror-image chapter from Part One, such that Chapter 1 here connects with Chapter 7 from Part O
As you read through Part Three you should start to notice a kind of structural symmetry. Each chapter in Part Three has something in common with its mirror-image chapter from Part One, such that Chapter 1 here connects with Chapter 7 from Part O
ne. The connections can be made as follows:
Part 1 Part 3
Ch1 <> Ch7
Ch2 <> Ch6
Ch3 <> Ch5
Ch4 <> Ch4
Ch5 <> Ch3
Ch6 <> Ch2
Ch7 <> Ch1
Consider, for example how Alex’s arrest in Pt1 Ch7 is reversed by his release in Pt 3 Ch1. Also, the attack on the old lady in Pt 1 Ch6 is mirrored by the attack by the old men on Alex in the library in Pt 3 Ch2. Look for other ways in which episodes in Pt 1 are mirrored or reversed or referred to in Pt 3. Consider, for example the use of m
usic in Pt 1.
Burgess was also a composer of music. He clearly had operatic structure in mind when composing A Clockwork Orange. This structural symmetry is an example as well as how motifs and symbols recur throughout the story. The ‘What’s it going to be then eh?’ is repeated in different contexts with slightly different meanings. Milk recurs throughout the book as something that is considered clean and healthy but can be corrupted. Consider how it is ‘enhanced’ at the Korova Milkbar or its use by Dim to attack Alex or the recurrence of milk at the home of the ‘cat lady’. Other motifs or symbols inc
Burgess was also a composer of music. He clearly had operatic structure in mind when composing A Clockwork Orange. This structural symmetry is an example as well as how motifs and symbols recur throughout the story. The ‘What’s it going to be then eh?’ is repeated in different contexts with slightly different meanings. Milk recurs throughout the book as something that is considered clean and healthy but can be corrupted. Consider how it is ‘enhanced’ at the Korova Milkbar or its use by Dim to attack Alex or the recurrence of milk at the home of the ‘cat lady’. Other motifs or symbols inc
lude the use of nadsat, the figure of christ, and classical music itself.
Make a grid like the one above and add as many exam
Make a grid like the one above and add as many exam
ples of how episodes in Pt 3 reflect those of Pt1. Consider how the Ludovico technique is at the centre of the book (Pt2 Ch4) and how everything piv
ots around this.
