Originally posted by: Amused
A Clock Work Orange is a political/social commentary book/film.
Unfortunately, I was forced to watch it in middle school because of this.
It examines free will, and what the removal of it would mean. It also attempts to do what most people think is impossible, make you feel sorry for a murdering rapist.
It drew exactly the opposite reaction from me, and most of my classmates... and still does. In no way did I feel sorry for the main character. And I thought the "treatment" was brilliant.
I'm not quite so sure the movie is supposed to make you feel sorry for him... rather, as he narrates parts of the story, you hear him asking for sympathy. Whether you, the viewer, want to give him this is up to you. In fact, in the end of the movie, you see that he is still an evil person, giving you little reason to feel for him.
Note that these comments pertain to the movie; I read the book once, a while ago, but don't remember it that clearly...