In A Clockwork Orange and The Butcher Boy, we are presented with two distinct forms of dystopian realms; Burgess’s novel is set during times of a near-future dystopic England and in a world of disorder and extreme violence, and McCabe’s novel may, to some extent, not appear to stray too far away from this aspect. Both the protagonist Alex from A Clockwork Orange and Francie from The Butcher Boy thrive on sedition and rebellion, a character trait bred from the familial and societal environment they are both placed in, and it is the concept of freedom and ‘breaking loose’ from these dispositions in their life that ultimately shapes every single action that these characters undergo. The authors arguably could be seen to suggest that, ironically, anarchy and corruption provide an opportunity for self-control for characters in both works; the lack of all external authority gives Alex in A Clockwork Orange all the more reason to feel more secure and free to fulfil his purposes in life, and the The Butcher Boy is in some ways a savage tragedy built around the idea of ‘control’ in various forms, perhaps glorifying violence and the grotesque upon the helpless. In many ways, Burroughs’s Naked Lunch and Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas resonate these comparisons respectively; Naked Lunch, similar to A Clockwork Orange, is set in a world of disorder and during times of a widespread narcotics phenomenon, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, like The Butcher Boy, follows the experiences of those who live alternate realities due to the abuse and manipulation of the mind, whether it be through narcotic usage or social circumstances.

A constant theme in both texts is the comparison between the depiction of a literal dystopian setting in ‘A Clockwork Orange, and a form of dystopia created and transmitted by the human mind through the sadistic mindset of Francie in The Butcher Boy. Burgess’s novel explores the idea, very popular among psychologists at that time, of using psychological conditioning to suppress crime. Set sometime in the future, people are hibernating in constant fear of the violent nature of society, locking themselves into their homes and not being able to do much else but watch the government-endorsed ‘worldcast’ television programme. The youth culture is slavishly obsessed with violence, therefore a disturbing and arguably