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Women In A Clockwork Orange Narcissism

1869 Words8 Pages

The narcissistic nature of the central characters, Alex and Patrick are portrayed in their treatment of women, who they see as nothing more than objects; degrading them in society’s eyes. Beverly Walker claims in a Clockwork ‘all of the women are portrayed as caricatures; the violence committed upon them is treated comically'. Similarly, in American Psycho the violent treatment of women is underlined with comic remarks, expressing the narcissistic nature of Patrick, but also his lack of morality. In a Clockwork, women are presented merely as something to voyeur within the opening chapter. The setting of the Korova Milk Bar consists of naked mannequin women, chained to walls, alluding that violence is justifiable to an extent and observing this …show more content…

In a Clockwork, if psychoanalytic lens were to be applied, it becomes clear that Burgess constructed Alex as a malignant narcissist, using him as a tool to project his concern that society is shaping the human race into becoming like Alex.8 Burgess describes a society which is on the verge of totalitarianism.11 Heller and Kiraly both argue “..._A Clockwork Orange_portrays a detached, uncaring society where ultraviolence is the only method of saying, ‘I am alive’”. Although Alex’s crimes are abhorrent; the reader regards with empathy Alex’s struggle to seem alive within a disaffected society.11 By committing horrendous crimes, it enables Alex to feel emotion in an ordered world.11 The narcissistic nature of the character has derived from a society that is corrupted and fails to acknowledge its …show more content…

American Psycho can be argued to be a judgement on modern American society that has become built on consumerism and materialism.12 American Psycho is structured differently to that of a Clockwork in that, as it lacks order with some extent appearing with disconnection, such as Patrick’s musical reviews and his heavily detailed morning routines.12 Ellis through this creates a character like Patrick who is quite disturbing in that the lack of a real structure alludes that to the fact that he is always on the edge suggesting how he can be calm one moment and be violent the next. Ellis depicts a disturbing society that lacks no real order, portraying an alternative side of capitalism and consumerism, showing how violent and dehumanising it can be. Whereas, although the ordered structure in a Clockwork is surrounded by a thesis on human nature,12 it hints to corruption within society and how instead of solving problems, society leaves it to persist longer which causes further demoralization. The narcissistic figures in both novels, no doubt, depict the demoralization of

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