A Vent For Dissatisfaction: Youth Violence In Atonement And A Clockwork Orange

Ian McEwan and Anthony Burgess are considered as postwar British writers ofthe finest genres. This paper intends to examine different features of youth violence inAtonement and A Clockwork Orange. Briony and Alex, the protagonists, have bothreached the age of puberty. As impetuous and wayward youngsters, they need to growout of this imperative period to their maturity. Nevertheless，they choose violence tovent for dissatisfaction. Briony in Atonement has perpetrated psychological violencetowards Robbie. She is accustomed to imposing her thoughts upon others, butfrequent clashes between expectation and reality eventually intensify her discontent,which further brings about false accusation and psychological trauma to Robbie;whilst Alex in A Clockwork Orange, the perpetrator of physical violence, performs allkinds of mischief. However, he is finally tormented by psychological violence whichis imposed on him by the authority.The body is in three chapters. Chapter one traces root of violence to humanity,discusses the two writers‘respective opinions towards youth violence and analyzestheir writing techniques in depicting the violent protagonists. Chapter two and chapterthree employ Freud‘s psychoanalysis to dissect reasons, development as well as finalappeasement of youth violence in the two novels. For the two youngsters, theimbalance among the modes of the psyche accounts for their aggressive behavior.Controlled by id, they pursue satisfaction despite everything according to pleasureprinciple. As they lack proper guidance from family and society, violence intensifies.Nevertheless, severe superego eventually refrain Briony and Alex from perpetratingviolence after they have experienced the pain of growth. This also demonstrates thatalthough it could satisfy instinctual urges, violence enables nobody to achieve innertranquility. In effect, the balanced development of the id, ego and superego as well asrational regression of the youngsters brings about a harmonious mental state.By sketching out different forms of youth violence, the two novelists haveexposed the complexity of humanity, demonstrated their concern towards the imbalanced development of adolescent personality and also conveyed their anxietythat youngsters are likely to err from the right path. Meanwhile, by dynamic analysisof youth violence, the thesis not only aims to improve readers‘comprehension, butalso appeals to the family and society to bestow upon youngsters proper guidanceand care in their growth.