Real meaning of A Clockwork Orange

Rating: Null/10 (17 October 1999)

I just watched this film last night, and when I had finished, I thought I had figured out the meaning of this film. I.e., the messages that Burgess was trying to get across. But then I started reading reviews of the film on the IMDB and was shocked to see what other readers thought of the film's message! I was shocked to see how differently I view the world compared to my fellow citizens.
But anyhow, here is my take:
The first thing I realized after viewing the film was how there was no point during the entire movie that I actually sympathized with the "protagonist". This was an unusual experience for me, and the only other movie I can think of which triggered the same reaction from me was "kids". Sure, there were a couple of times I sympathized with Malcolm McDowell, the actor. For instance, when he had his eyelids forced open or when he was forced underwater for an unbelievable length of time while being beaten. But I never sympathized for the character, Alex. In fact, I rather enjoyed this trough scene, and as a viewer I couldn't wait until he received his just deserts. I was eager to see him finally repay his debt to society, and was ultimately dismayed that he never got the opportunity to do so properly.
While reading reviews, some reviewers likened Alex's "treatment" with getting "brainwashed", and being "dehumanized". But I saw neither of these to be the case. Reviewers also claimed that Alex's treatment caused a loss of his "free will", which I also argue against. Let's examine these accusations:
First of all, Alex was clearly not brainwashed, and I thought Burgess went out of his way to demonstrate this. Brainwashing is when the person's own thoughts are intentionally muddled and replaced by new thoughts. George Orwell's 1984 demonstrates brainwashing through propaganda really well. But in Alex's case, it was very clear that his desires did not change after the treatment. He was the same old Alex -- just that he had a permanent "restraining bolt" in place. Kind of like mental handcuffs. (Remember when the naked woman came out on stage? Alex wanted to rape her senseless. His handcuffs prevented it).
Many reviewers claim he was "dehumanized". I must ask these people: was Alex "human" when he was terrorizing society every night? Or was he animalistic? Before the treatment, we was unable to sit still long enough to experience real human emotion, such as parental detachment and loss of friendships. Afterwards, he was free to explore these emotions -- he was free to explore sides of his own personality that were previously unknown to him. People who question my use of the word "free" should understand that he is no more "free" that you and I are.
Did Alex loose his free will? No, of course not. He could choose to experience all the same things he could before. Just that this time he feels the consequences of his actions -- immediately. The idea is that Alex would eventually not want to be evil anymore. But he never reached this stage of the movie, as his narration proved. Most people's "free will" is similarly limited also. But my free will is limited by conscience -- Alex's was not. The question this raises is -- would this have always been the case for Alex? Who knows?
In conclusion, Alex's treatment was in fact, a complete success. He was just beginning to learn that his actions have consequences. He was learning "tough love". What he really needed at that point in is life was a true friend, not a droog, who could help him learn his true humanity for the first time in is life. Someone who could teach him that in order to be loved, he must treat others with kindness and compassion. This last paragraph looks like I'm sympathizing with Alex, which is contrary to what I stated above. But this is not true. I'm sympathizing with Alex's potential - a potential which was never fulfilled.
And the reason it was never fulfilled was because politicians, in their infinite wisdom, caved into public opinion (fueled by the media), and removed his handcuffs. The implication is that all was lost, and he's back to square one, and now less human than ever.