A Clockwork Orange: Part 3, Chapter 5 Summary & Analysis

Alex wakes up in his host’s home feeling safe and well-rested. He decides to look for a copy of A Clockwork Orange so he can figure out the man’s name. Upon reading a copy, Alex discovers the man is named F. Alexander. The book itself is an impassioned polemic against the government’s attempts to mechanize citizens, and Alex does not like the style in which it is written. He wonders if F. Alexander has been driven mad by his wife’s death.

Alex comes downstairs for breakfast, and F. Alexander explains that he has been up for hours making phone calls. Alex remarks that he thought the man didn’t have a phone in his house, and F. Alexander suddenly perks up and asks what reason Alex would have to think that. Realizing that he accidentally referenced something F. Alexander’s wife said the night she was raped, Alex backpedals.F. Alexander tells Alex that his tragic experience with Reclamation Treatment can help the incumbent government lose the upcoming election. Its attempts to control its citizens border on totalitarianism, the author complains. F. Alexander explains that he has written an article under Alex’s name, decrying Reclamation Treatment. He gives it to Alex to read, and though Alex finds the writing “weepy,” he compliments the piece in typical nadsat slang. This vocabulary again raises F. Alexander’s hackles—the author suspiciously asks what Alex’s slang means, and Alex explains that it is common to youths.

Three of F. Alexander’s political allies come to the house to meet Alex. Alex greets them in typical nadsat fashion, and F. Alexander’s suspicions are raised again—the author remarks that he and Alex have certainly met before. The three confederates seem excited to use Alex to achieve their goals, but they answer evasively when Alex asks how he himself will benefit by helping the men. Alex protests that he wants to be returned to his pre-therapy state, and complains that he is not a “dim” creature who can be used.

F. Alexander fixates on the word “dim” and recalls that it sounds like a familiar name. Alex replies by asking “What do you know about Dim?” The boy then notices that F. Alexander has acquired a strange look in his eyes, and Alex moves to gather his belongings and leave. Meanwhile, a wild-eyed F. Alexander remarks that he “could almost believe” that Alex was the one who raped his wife years ago, and says that he’d tear the boy apart if it were true. The author’s cohorts comfort him and prevent Alex from leaving. While F. Alexander tries to recall why he recognizes the word “Dim,” Alex gets dressed and is driven to an apartment building by the author’s three collaborators. The three men drop Alex off in a comfortable apartment that will be his new home. Before leaving, one of the men asks Alex if he really was the one responsible for the incident that ruined F. Alexander’s life. Alex responds that he has paid for his crimes, and for those of his droogs.

Once the men leave him, Alex goes to sleep. When he wakes up, he hears music playing—it is a familiar symphony that he has not heard in years. Initially, he is delighted and interested by the music, but he soon begins to feel overwhelmed by sickness. He pounds on the walls until his hands are bloody, begging for the music to stop, but it continues. After staggering around his apartment in agony, Alex finally decides to kill himself. He opens the window and jumps into the bustling street below.