Ethics in Film

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

HUMN 330

Spring 2016

Human Nature and Ethics

Moral Issues in Film: A Clockwork Orange

By

Brett Nims

Summary

A Clockwork Orange is a film about a young adult man, Alex DeLarge. Alex leads a gang of other young adult men in London. The gang goes around the city and commits terrible acts of violence and sexual crimes with no remorse. Alex and his gang of droogs attack an old homeless man, drive dangerously through the country side, and attack an old man and his wife at their home. One night, Alex and his gang break into a woman’s house and he attacks her with a statue. He tries to flee the scene once he hears the police, but his gang turns on him and knocks him unconscious.

Alex is convicted of murdering the old lady and is sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment. While imprisoned, Alex says he doesn’t want to be evil anymore and wants to be changed into a good person. He is selected to be a participant in a new experiment to treat him of his bad behavior. Alex is strapped into a chair and forced to watch movies that depict violence and sexual assault. While he is watching the movies he is given a drug to make him nauseous and sick.

Once the doctors prove that the treatment has worked on Alex, he is released to be a free man. Alex is beaten by police officers who use to be a part of his old gang. He manages to escape and finds his way to the house of the old man and woman he assaulted from before. The old man finally realizes Alex was the one who raped his wife so he locked him in a room and played a song that made Alex extremely sick. Alex tried to kill himself by jumping out of a window but was unsuccessful.

When Alex wakes up in the hospital he comes to the conclusion that he is no longer treated against acts of violence and sexual misconduct. The government apologizes to Alex, saying his treatment was wrong and they wanted to help out Alex with his cooperation for a political campaign.

Moral Issues

While...