What's this for?' I said. And this veck replied, interrupting his like song an instant, that it was to keep my gulliver still and make me look at the screen. 'But,' I said, 'I want to look at the screen. I've been brought here to viddy films and viddy films I shall.
In this excerpt from Anthony Burgess's "A Clockwork Orange," the protagonist is confused about why someone is forcing him to remain still and focus on a screen. The character, referred to as "this veck," explains that the restraint is meant to keep him calm and attentive. The protagonist, however, expresses his desire to freely watch the films he has been brought to see.
This dialogue highlights the tension between control and free will. The protagonist's insistence on wanting to watch the films suggests a yearning for autonomy in contrast to the imposed limitations, illustrating a key theme of the book regarding the struggle for personal choice in the face of manipulation.
