Social Institutions and Manipulation Exposed in A...

As teenagers deviate from the constraining grasp of their parents, they begin to establish their own identity through decisions; however, their development of self-identification is frequently hindered by manipulation of societal institutions such as: justice system, religion, and media. Anthony Burgess, author of A Clockwork Orange, establishes the idea of freewill and how it is suppressed when Alex, the main protagonist, undergoes the manipulative Ludovicos technique, religious lectures, and social norms influenced by media- used to instill pain when Alexs desires violence/music and finding salvation, which is similar to the treatment of criminals in our society; ultimately utilized to mitigate crime, but also suppresses freewill†¦show more content†¦Another foible implicitly tied to the Justice System is fear administered by police officials. By enforcing the law they constantly remind society that there are certain inadmissible actions, which lead to repercussions; in o ther words, they want citizens to be orderly and to not transgress against society, even if our intentions do not abide to the law. This is akin to Alex, the main protagonist in the novel A Clockwork Orange, by inflicting internal pain through Ludovicos technique, which is administered by prison doctors to manipulate and suppress Alexs truculent desire. Despite the reassurance offered by the justice system, they are, in some way, manipulating our decisions to serve the greater good of society, while surreptitiously serving as dictators to society and criminals. Therefore, the Justice system, with their subtle constraints, has a resounding effect on the choices made by individuals. Often times, pondering individuals in search of salvation acquire their peace-of-mind by succumbing to religious movements to atone for their sins; however, religion has always been a tool of oppression since its advent because followers grow to acknowledge their