Political Exploitation by Opposition

Political Exploitation by Opposition is the sequence in which Alex, freshly released from the Ludovico Technique treatment and homeless after being rejected by his parents, is taken in by the writer F. Alexander and then used as a living propaganda weapon by a group of anti-government political activists. The event transforms Alex from a conditioned patient into a public symbol of state overreach, exploited for electoral purposes by the very people who claim to champion his freedom.

Discovery and Recruitment at HOME

After being beaten by the police and left on a country road, Alex stumbles, cold and injured, to a cottage whose gate reads HOME. The occupant, F. Alexander, recognizes Alex from the morning newspaper as "the poor victim of this horrible new technique" and immediately sees him as a providential arrival. F. Alexander tells Alex that the police are "fond of bringing their victims to the outskirts of this village" and that Alex is "not the first to come here in distress." Over a hot bath and a supper of fried eggs, ham, sausages, and sweet milky tea, Alex recounts the entire Ludovico Technique ordeal. F. Alexander, still wiping the same plate for ten minutes, declares that Alex has been turned into "something other than a human being" with "no power of choice any longer," a "little machine capable only of good." He reveals that his wife died after being "brutally raped and beaten" in that very house, a fact that makes Alex, who recognizes the crime as his own, feel sick and pale.

The Political Cell and the Article

The next morning, F. Alexander reveals he has been on the phone to various people. Three men arrive: Z. Dolin, a wheezy, fat man with thick-framed glasses who coughs constantly over a cigarette; Something Something Rubinstein, a tall, polite, elderly man with an eggy beard; and D. B. da Silva, a quick-moving man with a strong scent of perfume. They examine Alex with "overjoyed" approval. Z. Dolin remarks that Alex could "for preference look even iller and more zombyish" for the cause. D. B. da Silva explains their plan: "Public meetings, mainly. To exhibit you at public meetings will be a tremendous help. And, of course, the newspaper angle is all tied up. A ruined life is the approach. We must inflame all hearts." F. Alexander has already written an article for The Weekly Trumpet, which he plans to publish under Alex's name, a "very long and very weepy piece of writing" about how the government sapped his will. When Alex asks what he gets out of it—whether he will be cured of his sickness to music and violence—F. Alexander looks surprised, as if Alex is being selfish. Rubinstein vaguely promises that "the Party will not be ungrateful" and that there will be "some very acceptable little surprise."

Alex's Resistance and F. Alexander's Suspicion

Alex grows increasingly agitated, shouting that he wants to be "normal and healthy" again, able to enjoy music and have "real droogs." Z. Dolin strokes Alex's hand as if he were an idiot, telling him he is a "martyr to the cause of Liberty." Alex snaps: "Stop treating me like a thing that's like got to be just used. I'm not an idiot you can impose on, you stupid bratchnies." When Alex uses the word "dim," F. Alexander's memory is pricked; he mutters "Dim dim dim" and says, "I could almost believe... by Christ, if he were I'd tear him. I'd split him, by God." Alex, realizing F. Alexander is connecting him to the night of the attack on his home, tries to flee, saying he will go off "all on my oddy knocky." But Z. Dolin blocks him: "We have you, friend, and we keep you." Alex, unable to fight because the thought of violence triggers his conditioning sickness, submits.

Installation in the Political Flat

The three men drive Alex to a flatblock and install him in a small flat with two bedrooms and a living room covered in books, papers, ink, and bottles. D. B. da Silva tells him, "Here is your new home. Settle here, boy. Food is in the food-cupboard. Pyjamas are in a drawer. Rest, rest, perturbed spirit." Before leaving, Z. Dolin asks Alex if he was responsible for what stirred in F. Alexander's "tortured memory," and Alex insists he has paid for everything. Left alone, Alex lies on the bed, bewildered, and dozes off.

The Torture by Music and Suicide Attempt

Alex wakes to loud music coming through the wall—the Symphony Number Three of Otto Skadelig, a violent piece he once loved. The music triggers the conditioned sickness: pain, nausea, and a desperate thirst. He bangs on the wall, screaming "Stop, stop it, turn it off!" but the music only grows louder. He tries to flee but finds the front door locked from the outside. Sticking his fingers in his ears does nothing. In agony, he sees a pamphlet on the table with the word "DEATH" on its cover and another booklet with an open window on its cover and the slogan "Open the window to fresh air, fresh ideas, a new way of living." Interpreting this as a sign, he climbs onto the windowsill, shouts "Good-bye, good-bye, may Bog forgive you for a ruined life," and jumps. He does not die, but cracks his back, wrists, and legs, passing out on the sidewalk.

Consequences and Aftermath

The suicide attempt becomes a political weapon. While Alex lies in the hospital, the three political men visit him, telling him that "the people are on fire with indignation" and that he has "killed those horrible boastful villains' chances of re-election." They show him newspaper clippings with headlines like "BOY VICTIM OF CRIMINAL REFORM SCHEME" and "GOVERNMENT AS MURDERER." Alex tries to say, "If I had died it would have been even better for you political bratchnies," but can only manage "er er er." The event directly leads to the government's counter-move: the Minister of the Interior visits Alex in the hospital, gives him a stereo, and plays Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, revealing that Alex's conditioning has been reversed. The Minister also reveals that F. Alexander has been "put away" for his own protection and for Alex's. The political exploitation thus backfires, as the government reclaims Alex as a success story, and Alex, cured of his conditioning, returns to a life of violence with a new gang.