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Violence is the universal element in A Clockwork Orange. This violence is what formats plot, characterization and overall message in this particular novel. Violence, however, does not occur merely in literature. In our daily lives we are exposed to a disturbing amount of violence. One cannot avoid it, for it is present in all aspects of life. Therefore, in a sense, as violence shapes the structure of plot and characterization in literature, it also shapes the structure of our daily lives. There is not just one function of violence in our lives, just as there is more than one function of violence in A Clockwork Orange. The purpose of this essay is to show how Burgess used these different functions of violence in the story. In the following paragraphs I will discuss the functions of foreshadowing violence to come, free will, and the idea of original sin. One of the functions of violence in A Clockwork Orange can be see as an attempt by Anthony Burgess to foreshadow violence in the future. Alex, the protagonist of this novel, is used by Burgess to help depict this ultra-violence. Alex is far from the typical juvenile delinquent. With his band of "droogs," or friends, Alex goes on a rampage of sadistic rape and violence.