His was a wild spirit and one that held no regard for human life or morality. What we learn from both authors is that there must be a balance in our lives. Josephine and Constantia were too dependent and therefore did not make any decisions on their own. This is fine until they have no one to make decisions for them. Then all things become difficult and dramatic. Alex was defective in that he did not depend on anyone's opinion at all. He was left to his own devices and, considering the fact that he was a wild young teenager, which is not such a good thing. Both stories illustrate how man is a social creature and depends upon human interaction to a certain point.
While the stories seem to take place in different worlds, we must remember what is essential to both stories, and that is the human spirit. Attitudes, principles, moralities, and opinions might change, but mankind always remains a part of the story. With this in mind, we see how each story captivates the very heart of the human spirit. In a day and age where women lived according to the male influences in their lives,...
In fact, it is perhaps more destructive than a character that is too independent because co-dependency is much more difficult to overcome. Josephine and Constantia are at a loss for anything. They cannot even remember what it was that they were going to say to one another at the end of the story because their father was not around to help them figure it out. Alex, too, had a problem in that he depended on no one and reported to no one and the thought of an obtrusive government was too much for him. He is the opposite of Josephine and Constantia. He does not want to be told what to do and he certainly does not ask for anyone's approval or permission. These characters illustrate society's influence on man and how it must always be tempered with a dose of compassion.
Works Cited
Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange. New York W.W. Norton and Company. 1962.
Mansfield, Katherine. "The Daughters of the Late Colonel." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. II W.W. Norton and Company. New York: 1986.
