An exploration of how Anthony Burgess uses style, structure and language to reveal the characteristics of the protagonist, Alex, in "A Clockwork Orange."

I was first attracted to "A Clockwork Orange" when it was featured as one of the "top 100 films of all-time" in a magazine. I subsequently expressed a desire to read the novel but was advised against it by my mother as it contains violence, rape and pornography. This, however, did not discourage me at all - quite the opposite in fact. Without further ado, I purchased the novel, much to my mother's annoyance. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to read. What I discovered was a literary presentation of complexity that both enthralled and enchanted me; an underground classic: a masterpiece. Reading the novel was difficult and disorienting at first because of the special language used, which is the most prominent...