The “bildungsroman” framework for a novel exists in many timeless classics; however, the framework of Anthony Burgess’s novel A Clockwork Orange does not follow this schematic exactly. A glaring difference between a conventional “bildungsroman” novel and A Clockwork Orange exists in the idea that the protagonist must engage is some personal moral or spiritual conflict. In A Clockwork Orange, Alex can not experience any sort of spiritual or moral dilemma as “he ceases also …showed first 75 words of 702 total…

…showed last 75 words of 702 total…can easy accept his natural, perhaps god-given, self; an admirable accomplishment. A Clockwork Orange most definitely reaches a conclusion, completing a full cycle. Alex is introduced at the beginning of the novel, proceeds to become a different person as the novel progresses, however, eventually returns to his original character. The novel achieves its conclusion in a non-traditional, however, not wildly radical, fashion, as Anthony Burgess only drifts from the “bildungsroman” design for a short time.