WEEK13: LITERARY SPECULATION

This week I read Clockwork Orange. It is one of my favourite reads so far. I actually came out of the reading hating everyone and I don't know who to root for at all. I assume this is the author's intention, I hope so because this is the best way I can describe what I have just read. Of course forcing anyone of their will to be a certain way like how he was conditioned to be 'good' by brainwashing him is wrong but it was funny how they were so certain of themselves and forced it upon him that way. Making a right with a wrong type situation. I felt so uncomfortable when he re-met with the old man who's wife he raped in the beginning and the old man had his revenge on him. And still the whole beginning part of the book is about how he continuously raped countless number of women so really it's hard to root for anyone in this situation.

The whole story just goes in a big circle, people punishing other people for their wrong doings and getting punished for it later. The main character went through both ends of punishing and being punished and he was a big prick throughout the story. There was no redemption for anyone, he wasn't ever truly sorry for any mistake he made, no one in the story was. They were all sorry to get caught but all so quick to wrong another and still at the very end everyone still never owned up to their mistakes, no one got what they deserved really because it's just a big continuous cycle of bad things and punishments. It was so tremendously stressful to read. In the end I just felt so numb to everything and it really is a bad feeling. I really enjoyed the book alot because it is such a truthful interpretation of society.

I feel like this is one of the types of stories where I can really relate and I really feel like the society we live in today is a very big mirror of this story. People aren't willing to admit mistakes and are very entitled in their opinions. More so than ever today for some reason, shaming others for a different opinion has also become a thing. Who gives us the right to think we can punish others for anything. Wiping out a wrong with a wrong doesn't make a right, what an elementary saying we might laugh and say this is a cheesy saying and yet if we look around we would find that people are doing the exact opposite of two wrongs doesn't make a right. It looks like things haven't changed much over these many years because this book was written so long ago and yet till today it still seems to speak volumes of truth about our society and how we treat others. A touch of kindness and grace is definitely much needed in the world today. We are making small steps to this and I hope we continue to do so.