In many ways, the controversial final chapter of Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange undermines the novel's fundamental premise. Alex's unexpected transformation from sadistic criminal to consciously reformed and mature individual is not only poorly explained, but also completely absurd. So the work as a whole is undoubtedly better without the twenty-first chapter. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay From the beginning, the character of Alex captivates as a cruel and corrupt young man with a thirst for “old ultraviolence.” As the novel's first seven chapters chronicle his twisted acts of "nochy," it becomes clear that violence is Alex's art form. He is passionate about his work and aims to perform every part of it with meticulous care, saying, "you should never look like you've been" in a fight. This passion is essential throughout the novel, because it keeps the reader empathetic to Alex: no matter how heinous his crimes, everyone can identify with a man's burning desire to express himself. Thus, the reader shares Alex's anxiety when the State deprives him of his ability to commit violence by brainwashing him through the Ludovico Technique, forcing him to "be just like a clockwork orange." After his release from the state as a "free man", Alex's struggles to regain his freedom further sway the audience to his side. So when the twentieth chapter ends with Alex finally being able to "rattle off the beautiful music" without "the pain and the sickness... and go oh oh oh," it feels like a triumphant end. The reader is free to imagine what actions Alex will commit in the "jarring world with [his] ruthless britva", and is proud and pleased that Alex has emerged victorious and unchanged from all his suffering. this glory fades, as it immediately reveals an Alex whose passion for violence has waned. This reformed Alex is "very bored and a bit hopeless" in his nightly routine, as he chooses to quickly punch the victim in the stomach rather than play with him first or "sculpt his litso". In many ways, it's a disappointment to see Alex decide to conform to the adult world after fighting so hard to free himself from its laws. This irony aside, the portrayal of Alex's maturity in the last chapter is absurd. Although it can be assumed that some time has passed since his discharge from the hospital, Alex's transformation still seems very sudden and hard to believe. It is disconcerting to think that Alex is now ready to settle down and not only find a partner but also father a child, after having spent the last few years mocking and inflicting pain on families like that of F. Alexander and his wife. Alex's sudden desire to fill his "big void" by "coming home from work to a nice hot plate of dinner and... a ptitsa all welcoming and greeted as loving" seems to come out of nowhere, making him someone average and uninteresting. Furthermore, the fact that much of this longing is sparked by an unexpected encounter with her old "droog" Pete is sad and cliché. The old Alex would have made his ex-droogs "scream and scream" because they were traitors; he would have laughed in Pete's face instead of being awed and inspired by his reformed lifestyle. However, this new Alex is instead inclined to carve out the image of a "goo goo goo gurgling child with everyone like moloko dripping from his rot", a sight impossible to imagine after watching Alex gleefully beat, rape and torture countless victims innocent. Although Alex in the end.