ACWO The Male Gaze

The female characters of A Clockwork Orange can be characterised as submissive, thankless, weak, emotional, objectified, degraded, passive and powerless. Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory dictates that women in most films are reduced to passive roles, while the men are given active roles of the hero or central protagonist. Mulvey also argues that women are objectified by the characters on-screen and the spectators themselves are encouraged to feel the same. This theory can be applied throughout A Clockwork Orange.

The first home invasion scene featuring the assault and rape of a female character by protagonist Alex is a male-dominated, potentially erotic scene. Alex denies us as spectators a glimpse of the female point-of-view, instead viewing everything in this scene either through the eyes of male characters or from sexually objectifying perspectives which reveal the female character's unclothed body entirely. In this scene, we are encouraged to share Alex's perspective, otherwise we could not align with the character after seeing him engage in such a reprehensible crime and this alignment is key to sympathising with Alex for the duration of the film. That we have no access to the female POV means that we cannot connect with the female character like we would Alex. Even from the start of the scene, this female character (whom goes without a name) is introduced secondary to her older husband through the cinematography, panning from left to right as the doorbell rings. It's emphasised throughout the scene that this woman is a trophy, an object of desire and lust, even through her red dress which connotes sexuality and makes her visually distinctive. The mirrors lining the wall as this character approaches the front door allow the spectator to gaze at her, as she is reflected multiple times along the hallway and her figure is further emphasised by this mirroring. It's in this instance that the conventionally feminine traits of generosity and kindness are used against her as she opens the door to Alex and his gang of droogs, and even then she may only open the door if her husband allows it, suggesting she is, again, subservient to her older male partner.

In contrast with other female characters, an unnamed female nurse appears during the middle third of the film who is sexually unappealing in comparison with the younger, conventionally-attractive women of the first third. This lends credence to the idea that the only arguably active female characters in the film are sexually uninteresting and unconventional.

This male gaze theory can additionally be applied to the later 'Ludovico technique' scene.