A Clockwork Orange Part 2, Chapter 4 Summary

  • Alex enters a mind-blowing room. A silver screen runs the length of one wall. Opposite that is a wall with square holes for projectors. Speakers are everywhere. Against another wall is a panel of meters. A dentist-looking chair with all sorts of wires poking out sits in the middle of the floor, facing the silver screen.
  • Still feeling weak, Alex has to crawl from the wheelchair into the dentist's chair.
  • Underneath the projection holes, he notices a panel of frosted glass with shadows of people moving behind it.
  • A white coat straps his head, hands, and feet down; the personnel also attach clips to his forehead so that his eyelids are forced to remain open.
  • Alex wonders out loud how "horrorshow" this film must be.
  • Dr. Brodsky enters the room. Short, fat, bespectacled, flat-nosed, and with curly hair, he also has a suit that's absolutely the heighth of fashion.
  • In a very breathy voice, Dr. Brodsky gives the go, after which the lights are turned off and everything else is switched on.
  • The first film opens with an atmosphere of discord – no title, no credits, eerie music, a dark street…an old man walking down that street is attacked by two young guys dressed in the heighth of fashion. His screams and blood seem very realistic. Alex begins to feel ill in the stomach.
  • He tries to forget about the nausea and focus on the second film. Six or seven malchicks (boys) are raping a young girl. Her screaming was so pathetic, and the tragic music playing adds to the "real" effect. Alex wonders about the kind of tricks used in making the movie seem so real; or are these actual snuff films?
  • Alex feels pain all over his body, also wanting to throw up one minute and not the next. He begins to feel distress.
  • Dr. Brodsky stands over the panel of switches gauging his reaction to be about 12.5 on the meter. He notes that this is promising for Alex.
  • A third film is shown. This one has a face being held still and cut with a razor. Alex feels heavy sweat drip down his throbbing head and experiences a lot of pain in his stomach. The film goes on to show how a razor cuts out the man's eye and how pliers yank out all of his teeth. Alex reasons with himself that this film could not be real, but he still feels just as sick. At this point, Dr. Brodsky says "Excellent" three times, still monitoring the meters.
  • A fourth film shows an old woman shopkeeper being robbed by a lot of modern youth. The modern youth set fire to the shop, and, the fire ends up engulfing the old woman because her leg was broken in the shuffle. The shrieks of the woman being burned alive make Alex want to vomit.
  • To this, Dr. Brodsky says it's only his imagination. He won't be able to actually vomit, the doctor says.
  • The fifth film Alex views takes place during World War Two. The Japanese soldiers in the film torture their captives by nailing them to trees, lighting them on fire, cutting off their testicles, and playing ball with their decapitated heads. Alex now feels such horrible pain in his head and belly that he screams for the film to be stopped.
  • Dr. Brodsky laughs and reminds Alex that they've hardly started the treatment.