A Clockwork Orange - Characters & Cast

Alex's primary motivation is the pursuit of pleasure through his own unique interests: classical music, sex, and 'ultra-violence'. He is driven by a hedonistic and anarchic impulse, a desire to assert his individuality and dominance over others. He acts because he enjoys it, as he states, 'But what I do I do because I like to do.' There is no deeper social or political motive for his initial actions; it is pure, unadulterated self-gratification.

Alex begins as a charismatic but deeply sociopathic gang leader who revels in 'ultra-violence' and classical music. His arc is not one of redemption, but of transformation through external forces. After his capture, he is subjected to the Ludovico Technique, which forcibly strips him of his violent impulses and free will, turning him into a helpless victim. He is then brutalized by the very society he once terrorized. In the end, his conditioning is reversed, and he exclaims, 'I was cured, all right,' implying a return to his old self, now with the state's endorsement. He goes from a perpetrator of violence to a victim of it, and finally to a symbol of the state's hypocrisy.

Initially, his motivation is to expose the government's dehumanizing techniques. However, his overriding motivation becomes personal revenge against Alex for the assault on him and the death of his wife. He is willing to sacrifice Alex's life to achieve this vengeance and to make a political statement.

Mr. Alexander is first introduced as a writer and a victim of Alex's brutal home invasion, during which he is crippled and his wife is raped. He later re-emerges as a political dissident who seeks to use Alex's 'cured' state as a weapon against the incumbent government. Upon realizing Alex is his original attacker, his arc shifts from political opportunism to pure revenge, as he tortures Alex with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, driving him to a suicide attempt. His character demonstrates how victimization can breed a desire for cruel vengeance.

His motivation is rooted in his religious and philosophical beliefs. He is driven by the conviction that moral choice is what defines humanity. He argues passionately that 'Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man.' His purpose is to question the ethics of the state's methods, regardless of the criminal's past actions.

The Prison Chaplain serves as the film's primary voice of moral and philosophical concern. He is initially one of the few characters who shows some genuine, albeit limited, concern for Alex. He is the first to object to the Ludovico Technique, not because he is fond of Alex, but on the theological grounds that it denies him free will. His arc is static; he remains consistent in his belief that true goodness cannot be coerced. He represents the film's central ethical dilemma.

His motivation appears to be maintaining the status quo and his own position. He wants Alex to stay out of trouble to avoid paperwork and complications. There is a lack of genuine care for Alex's well-being, replaced by a weary cynicism and a desire to enforce societal norms through intimidation and condescension.

Mr. Deltoid is Alex's post-corrective adviser, a government official tasked with keeping him out of trouble. He displays a cynical and somewhat lecherous attitude towards Alex, seemingly more concerned with appearances than with genuine rehabilitation. His arc is brief but telling: he goes from feigning concern to outright disgust and condemnation when Alex is finally arrested for murder, spitting in his face to signify that he has given up on him. He represents the failure and hypocrisy of the social support system.