Analysis Of Charlie Gordon

In Brooklyn, New York, a man named Charlie Gordon, who is 37 and worked as a janitor at Donnegans Plastic Box Company. Gordon, 2 weeks ago was just at a school for the mentally challenged adults with his teacher named Miss Kinnian. Kinnian had recommended a surgery to Gordon who was born with a mental disability. Algernon, a mouse was tested before Gordon to see if this procedure really works. Miss Kinnian strives to make Gordon smarter than a mouse. A couple weeks later, an operation has been done to Gordon by 2 doctors, Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur, that may change his intelligence from a brain surgery. Gordon was always the type of man who wanted to fit in with the rest of the world because he always felt different. Gordon had this

“You just pulled a Charlie Gordon.” That was often said by his co-workers. Charlie Gordon was an adult male in his 30’s that was mentally challenged. Everyone made fun of him his whole life for it. There are many conflicts in the story, but there are two that stood out for me. First, his so called “friends” signed a petition to have him fired, due to him getting more intelligent. Secondly, once Algeron starts to loose his intelligence charlie realizes he's going to start losing it soon too!

After Charlie goes through the surgery to improve his intelligence, he begins to see the world as it truly is. Charlie is not very intelligent. He is aware of his mental deficit and wants to become smart. When asked about the reason he wants the surgery, Charlie states, “I told them becaus all my life I wantid to be smart and not dumb (Keyes 286). Charlie, “Cant wait to be smart like my best frends Joe Carp and Frank Reilly (Keyes 290).” Therefore, he was not satisfied with his life before the surgery. Furthermore, Charlie’s mental deficit makes him not very smart about his relationships with his coworkers. He is unaware that his coworkers make fun of him. At first, Charlie believes, “Their really my friends and they like me” (Keyes 289). Others, however, realize that the coworkers aren’t treating Charlie well. Referring to his kind teacher, Charlie says, “I said all my frends are smart people but there good. They like me and they never did anything that wasnt nice. Then she got something in her eye and she had to run out to the ladys room” (Keyes 291). After the surgery, Charlie comes to understand people more and to understand what is a true friend. Charlie later learns, “Now I know what it means when they say ‘to pull a Charlie Gordon.’ I'm ashamed” (Keyes 293). Charlie also sees his doctors in a new light when he says, “It was as if I'd

Charlie Gordon was born with an extremely low IQ and although he may not realize all that is going on around him, he does realize that he is not smart. More than anything he wants to learn to read and write and impress his family and co-workers. That opportunity comes along for Charlie and although he does not understand the consequences fully, he takes it. Charlie was not going to just go to school and learn to "be smart" because he did not have the capability, although he went to a class for retarded adults three times a week. Instead his teacher suggested he talk to Dr. Strauss and Professor Nemur who were looking for a retarded adult to test a new operation on to enhance the IQ of not only retarded people, but later for people with average IQ levels and even geniuses, to further knowledge for the human race. Although the operation did work, it did not last and Charlie was left struggling to hold onto the knowledge he had acquired over the few months where his IQ had increased three fold, then dropped again. This experiment was dangerous and unethical. It affected Charlie

Charlie Gordon’s doctors acted ethically when they performed the surgery to make him smarter. In the beginning Charlie took a Rorschach test to test his personality. When he took the test, he said he saw nothing in the inkblots. Charlie Gordon is in his 30’s; his IQ was 68, despite this fact, Charlie spends time with his teacher Miss Kinnian to get smarter. Miss Kinnian teaches at a school for slow adults.

Before the operation, Charlie Gordon, from Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, is happy. He may have a simple, pitiful existence, but he thinks his friends like him, and enjoys being with them and Miss Kinnian at the Learning Center for Slow Adults. However, Charlie wants to be smart, the one dark cloud in his sunny sky of life. Because of this, Charlie volunteers for an operation to triple his IQ of 68. With a high IQ comes awareness of the world around him, so Charlie suddenly becomes conscious of his previously pitiful existence which leads to a slew of feelings such as embarrassment, shame, and superiority. Charlie thinks that becoming smart will make him happy and well-liked, but the operation works the opposite effect. Charlie starts to look down on everyone, and cannot socialize with others because of his IQ. As a result, Charlie becomes almost depressed. His depression deepens when Charlie discovers that his intelligence will not be permanent. Soon, Charlie regresses to his former childlike mentality. Although at the end of the novel, Charlie does not find himself any worse off after the operation, the few months he spent smarter are not terribly enjoyable for him, and his changing mentality negatively impacts those he is close to, namely Miss Kinnian. Because the effects are not permanent, Charlie would be far better off without the operation.

The photograph, The Whipping of Gordon, taken by William D. McPherson and Mr. Oliver, was taken when Gordon went under an examination to join the army. This examination revealed his keloid scars from whippings he got when he was a slave. He quickly became known as a subject for photography for abolitionist. The abolitionist used him to show the brutal abuse slaves go through.

Charlie Gordon in the beginning of the story, is presented as a mentally retarded adult who attends night school and works at a factory. Early in the story Charlie struggles in school and has abominable spelling and vocabulary. Charlie uses his thoughts and words in his progress reports to portray his story. Due to his lack of intelligence Charlie misspells many words and we observe this in his progress reports. “Mr. Strauss says I shud rite down what I think and evrey thing that happins to me from now on.” (285). In the beginning of the story, we also recognize how Charlie struggles with a test, where he has to think and observe what he sees in ink blots. Charlie is unable to think of

Charlie Gordon, a middle aged man that has an original I.Q. of 68 and is asked to be tested on to see if this experiment works. Mr. Gordon works at a factory and he always has a positive attitude at work. He attends a school for adults that don’t work quickly mentally. Mr. Gordon wants to become smart so he can know what he is doing in situations.

An author name Bryant Mcgill said once “When we do not know our true identity as powerful creators, we are susceptible to being used and manipulated.” Charlie is a 32-year-old developmentally disabled man who gets the chance to have a surgery that might make him smarter. Charlie believes that Dr. Strauss and Professor Nemur, the two men running the experiment, are smart, reliable men who just want to help him. He documents his time during the experiment through progress reports. With his increasing intelligence Charlie develops romantic feelings for Miss. Kinnian or Alice, as he later calls her, his teacher. Charlie is getting smarter, but his emotional intelligence is still ones of a young person. In addition to Alice, later in the story Charlie

Charlie Gordon is a man with a problem that makes him dumb. He has one of the lowest IQ’s out of the world with a 68. He has friends at a factory where he works. What he knows and calls friends are actually just mean people making fun of him. Charlie goes to a school made specifically for people like him. He has a nice teacher named Mrs. Kinnian

“Before, they had laughed at me, despising me for my ignorance and dullness; now, they hated me for my knowledge and understanding… This intelligence has driven a wedge between me and all the people I knew and loved…” (Keyes 108) . Charlie finds that even after his operation, there are still barriers between him and his coworkers, acquaintances, and family. “...language is sometimes a barrier instead of a pathway. Ironic to find myself on the other side of the intellectual fence.” (Keyes 114). This idea that language is also a barrier is significant because it shapes Charlie’s relationships with Professor Nemur and Dr.Strauss. “... he has succumbed to arrogance and superiority over those who have provided the opportunity for his intellectual development.” (Wroble). This criticism describes the effects of the growth of Charlie’s ego as his IQ grows too. Not only does Charlie face an intellectual barrier, but also faces an emotional

“14% of Americans wish to become smarter…,” and for Charlie Gordon this wish is about to come true. In the short story, “Flowers for Algernon”, Charlie Gordon, the main character, is about to get surgery to enhance his intelligence, little does Charlie know that this surgery could turn his life upside down. Daniel Keyes, the author, represents the theme that if someone alters with the way a person is made, it can result in bad consequences.

Charlie in the story now was using better spelling and bigger words. You could see him getting smarter every time he wrote a progress report. Charlie started to talk a lot different when he read his progress reports he just acted really smart. Charlie though started to get smarter than people ,and couldn’t even talk to people they just couldn’t understand him. Charlie started to be smarter than the doctors that gave him the surgery. He started to read more and write less because he was so into his research about the Algernon,gordon effect. He found out that he will only stay smart for a little bit longer ,but he will have some side effects. ‘’The algernon-gordon effect: A study of Structure and Function of Increased intelligence,’’which I would like to have you read and have published.’’June 4,progress report

As Stephen Hawking said, “Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” Charlie Gordon, the main character in this novel, is most reflected by this quote. Charlie underwent an experiment to possibly diminish of his mental handicap disability. The mostly successful surgery not only changed his intelligence, but it also changed his perspective on things, as well as his personality. With the change of intelligence, Charlie had to learn how to adapt to things changing around him and in him. Three of the most impacting personality changes that Charlie experienced are lack of respect, gain of anger, and feeling loneliness.