Book Reports / A Clockwork Orange and Of Mice and Men Comparison Essay - Man's Struggle for Power [2]

Man's Struggle for Power

"One of the things about powerful people is they have the ability to make it look easy." (Ice-T) Power can drive anyone crazy, but in hard times it can be the only thing that defines a man.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, both relate back to the theme of men in search for power. Betrayal becomes a key factor in both novels. To these men, violence seems to be the only way to gain authority. Uncontrollable violence eventually leads to murder. This fight can ruin a man from the inside out.

Mental Illness plays a huge role in both novels. At first glimpse into the minds of Alex and Lennie, it is hard to see any similarities. Lennie appears to be very calm and shy but, in the blink of an eye, he can become a monster. George is left to act like Lennie's father. "...he gets in trouble alla time because he's so God damn dumb."(Steinbeck 41) When George says this to Slim, he is describing that Lennie does not know the difference between right and wrong. It becomes obvious that George is growing tired of cleaning up after Lennie's mistakes. The world Alex lives in has transformed him into an ultra-violent young man. Alex's social worker, P. R. Deltoid, tells Alex that he is the only man "...who wants to save you from yourself." (Burgess 39) By saying this, P. R. Deltoid is informing Alex that he is not going to win this battle with himself, and that he should conform and listen to what Deltoid is instructing him to do. Neither Lennie nor Alex see the difference between right and wrong. Both of the protagonists are controlled by orders. Alex gives, Lennie obeys. Lennie understands that he does not have the same mind capacity as his peers, let alone the rest of the world. Alex, however, believes he is far more important and wiser than anyone. Most importantly, both men have lost their minds in the struggle for power and some control over their lives. With the fear of who they really are, Alex and Lennie both need to be accepted by others, when they should just believe in themselves.

Of Mice and Men is set during the depression and many people are poor. During hard times, people tend to become more protective of their possessions and self. Eventually, it becomes clear that it is difficult to trust anyone. Alex and Lennie have each created a safe group of their closest companions. Eventually, it ends up being the people they have the most trust in who betray them. One evening, when Alex wakes up to go meet his droogs, he finds his world falling apart. "There's been some very large talk behind my sleeping back..." (Burgess 51) Alex is making it clear that he knows what his so-called friends have been planning, and he is letting them know that it will not be happening. He is informing his droogs that he is still in charge. Both men are faced with extreme cases of betrayal from the people they love the most. Alex is not just betrayed by one friend, but by all three, and not once, but twice. Lennie trusts George with his life, and eventually it ends up being George who takes it away from him. During Lennie and George's final conversation Lennie makes it apparent how much George really means to him. "We got each other..." (Steinbeck 105) Nothing matters more to Lennie than George. This quote allows the reader to understand all the trust Lennie has in his friend. In man's struggle for power, they are consumed with nothing but themselves. During this struggle people are not afraid to hurt those around them.

Violence is the only answer, Violence will fix everything. This is what these men have been telling themselves in order to assert their order and place in the world. Alex truly believes that by hurting everyone around him it makes him stronger. Even when Alex is describing the attire of himself and his droogs he says that they wear "...horrorshow boots for kicking." (Burgess 2) By stating this information right from the beginning the audience is aware of the extreme violence that surrounds this gang. Later on, it ends up being violence that disgusts and destroys him. Lennie has only one way of showing his power, harming others. Lennie is terrified of the world and even George sometimes. "...Lennie watched in terror the flopping little man whom he held." (Steinbeck 63) Lennie is not comfortable with the amount of strength he has. Whenever he is faced with a conflict Lennie only knows one way out, by causing pain. It is not only these men who rely on violence to solve their problems. The world today is surrounded by people on their quests for power, and they believe violence will get them to their goal.

Power can drive a man crazy. It can take over someone's whole body and mind. Neither of these men understand just really how much physical power they have. The excessive force they use on women destroys their lives. When Alex is finally caught for all the harm he has caused, he is informed that he has killed a woman. "That is an ambulance. Doubtless for your old lady victim, you ghastly wretched scoundrel." (Burgess 67) The police officer is telling Alex this to assert his authority by talking down to him. This makes it apparent that Alex is about to lose any control he had. The reader can tell that Alex is disoriented and does not fully understand what he has done. Lennie is not a murderer, but he is all too familiar with it. "I di'n't know you'd get killed so easy." (Steinbeck 87) At this part in the story Lennie has killed yet another small animal. This shows that Lennie is not aware of the strength he really has. It also brings to attention the fact that he feels guilt and remorse. Lennie, filled with fear, took the life of another woman. It was obvious these men were eventually going to kill. They were born and raised to be violent monsters. Lennie's strength forces him to kill small innocent animals. Every night Alex beats people to the point where they nearly die, just for fun. It is surprising these men made it this far in their lives without murdering others before. The fact is, both men, in their search for themselves, take their struggle for power to a whole new level.

After concluding both novels, it becomes clear that the struggle for power can corrupt anyone. These novels make it apparent that life is full of twists and turns and, in order to stay sane, everyone must believe in themselves. Lennie and Alex verify that violence will not solve anything. Both A Clockwork Orange, and Of Mice and Men, prove that everyone has a bad side and that anyone can be hurt by the ones they love and trust the most. Most importantly, no one can take on the world believing they are more important, or that they are not good enough, because that path does not lead anywhere but where they began.

Works Cited

Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange. New York: Norton & Company, 1986. Print.

Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. Print.

"Notable Quotes." Notable Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web.

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