Analysis Of Daniel Keyes Flowers For Algernon

"Exceptional refers to both ends of the spectrum, so all my life I've been exceptional" Charlie Gordon of Flowers for Algernon refers to his intellectual ability in this quote, which is the focal point of the novel. More specifically, Flowers for Algernon is about a severely mentally challenged man who undergoes medical treatments that makes him intellectually brilliant but lacking in emotional intelligence. Eventually, the treatments fail and he reverts back to his original mental state. This book also contains sexual themes, language, and the dehumanization of the mentally challenged. Despite these things, this book should not be banned in middle and high schools because it teaches that we should love and respect everyone despite differences in intellectual or emotional differences, as well as insight into the mind of a mentally challenged person and the honest insight into the strain his condition puts on his family.

Many people believe that achieving great intelligence will bring them great happiness. This was what Charlie Gordon imagined for himself, that if he could only get the surgery that was supposed to make him smart, then he could finally fit in and be really happy. In the end, though, was Charlie really better off after he got the surgery? No, he wasn’t. Charlie was ultimately better off before he got the surgery to make him intelligent because if he had never done the surgery, then he would never have had to experience the trauma of having to go back to not being intelligent after knowing what intelligence felt like. Also, before the surgery, Charlie didn’t realize how un-faithful his friends were, and how naïve he actually was, which ultimately caused him a lot of shame. Finally, if Charlie had never gotten the surgery, he wouldn’t have had to leave New York.

Society has become a shallow place. If an individual does not fit into societies form of the normal person then they are treated differently. But does society treat those who are different in a negative or positive way? In the novel Flowers for Algernon, the author Daniel Keyes shows an in depth look at the treatment of individuals in today's society. Firstly society tends to discriminate against those whose IQ does not fit into the norms of our society. The physically handicapped in today's world are not considered to be "equal" as those who fit into the normal physical appearance, Keyes portrays this through Charlie's thoughts while in the café. Although animals are not technically humans society treats them in ways which no human would

Therefore, intelligence does not bring happiness. For Charlie, Ignorance is bliss. He realizes that his so- called ‘friends?’ were just using him to entertain their perverse humor. Also, he was fired from the job that he loved because his new intelligence level. This promotes Charlie into a short depression. This short depression made it clear that Charlie’s life prior to the experiment was better than his current conditions since he had a job which he looked forward to and so- called “friends”.Charlie says on May 20th "Now I'm more alone than ever before” (Keyes, 108). He had nobody to relate to at this point of the story because his intelligence grow to overpower other surrounding him. Charlie’s intelligence has already exceeded his teacher and the doctors. Before Charlie gained intelligence, even the simplest things in life were good enough for him. After he gained intelligence,none of those things mattered to him because his mind grew more complex. As a result, he felt alone and buried himself in his work.

One of the reasons Charlie is better off after the experiment is because he becomes more self-aware. One part of the story that shows this is when Charlie goes to a party with his friends Joe and Frank, and everyone laughs at Charlie trying to dance. Charlie is now smart enough from the experiment to realize Joe and Frank just keeps him around for some entertainment, and not as real friends, so now he knows “what it means when they say ‘to pull a Charlie Gordon’” (7). Here, Charlie is benefiting from the surgery because he is now intelligent enough to be able to tell whether he has real friends or not. He realizes that they are just making fun of him, because he knows he used to be very unintelligent, which is why they say he can pull a Charlie Gordon. Now, Charlie can be more aware of who he chooses to be with, and know whether or not they are actually caring of him. He has become more self-aware in his choice of friends, and by doing so, improve his emotional situation. Another

Charlie still should have gone through with the experiment. Charlie was never very intelligent. He was determined to be as smart as he could get no matter the struggle. As well as wanting to be intelligent, he learned that people are mean and not everyone is your friend. Learning about how people were really were treating him, hurt Charlie’s feelings. Nonetheless, Charlie would have never been the same if he never knew what the real world was like. He would have never done what he had a dream about accomplishing.

Society has become a shallow place. If an individual does not fit into societies form of the normal person then they are treated differently. But does society treat those who are different in a negative or positive way? In the novel Flowers for Algernon, the author Daniel Keyes shows an in depth look at the treatment of individuals in today's society. Firstly society tends to discriminate against those whose IQ does not fit into the norms of our society. The physically handicapped in today's world are not considered to be "equal" as those who fit into the normal physical appearance, Keyes portrays this through Charlie's thoughts while in the café. Although animals are not technically humans society treats them in ways which no human would

The invention in flowers for algernon is a surgery on his brain that could make the person’s normal IQ four times greater. But the effects don’t last forever after a certain period of time the effects reverse and the person’s IQ drops down to what it originally was. They have tested the experiment on animals and it was a success but after time they animals IQ would revert to what it originally was but it would die. The need/necessity in the book is the surgery they did in hope that one day they would be able to raise more IQ’s so that's why they needed charlie because he would be the first ever human to have the surgery performed on and it was a success but it lasted for a couple months and then he started to revert back to his old ways and he left because he didn't want anyone to see him a the way he

Towards the end of the book, Charlie’s IQ started to decrease. Charlie knew what was going to happen so he tried to come up with a solution so no one else would have to be like him. Charlie’s IQ was decreasing as fast as it had increased when he had the surgery. Charlie wasn’t all upset in the end because he’s the first mentally retarded person to come up with a scientific

During their quarrel, Alice states that Charlie “...had a smile...a warm real smile, because [he] wanted people to like [him].” (Keyes 299). As Alice says, Charlie used to be a very happy person, but as time progressed, with his intelligence increase and his deterioration following, he became less jovial and outgoing. In response to Alice, Charlie claims, “Maybe that’s why it was so important for me to learn. I thought it would make people like me. I thought I would have friends. That’s something to laugh at, isn’t it?” (Keyes 299-300). This declaration further proves Charlie’s cynicality. He is expressing pessimistic behavior by affirming that it was humorous for him to gain intelligence so he could obtain friends. In reality, however, his friend-count downsized. Based on this altercation, the audience can derive that Alice deems the operation ruined Charlie’s personality, and that she valued his warm, loving personality over his artificial

When Charlie finds out he is going to lose his intelligence as algernon did, he “...checked and rechecked my results a dozen times in hope of finding an error… Yet for the sake of science, I am grateful for the little bit that I here add to the knowledge… of human intelligence,” (Keyes 22) He realizes by checking his test results, that he is losing his intelligence and although he knows that he is going to lose his intelligence, he is appreciative for what he could do to further the intellect of humans. He says that he was “...in hope of finding an error…” which implies that he does not want to lose his intelligence. Even though that he does not want to lose his intellect, he realizes the bigger picture and that this is an important scientific

The novel Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes is narrated through progress reports written by Charlie Gordon the protagonist of the novel. Novel is based on how people mock mentally challenged people and how people treat others inferior in terms of intelligence. Charlie is a kind hearted mentally challenge person who has a desire of knowledge. He was gave the opportunity to take an operation that will amp his intelligence which was first successful on a lab mouse named Algernon. He take the operation so he can fit into society, make friends, and become more knowledgable. Charlie undergo the surgery and he slowly and then tragically become an genius. The surgery soon takes an negative impact on him. He begins to become bitter and starts to isolate himself as he realizes his friends mocked him for being retarded before operation. Throughout the story Charlie gradually remember his past life such as his mother resented him for being retarded and his sister for being cruel to him. He also dealt with trying to reach emotional maturity to match his soaring intellect. As the story comes to end Algeron starts to regress to his old state and he

“Flowers For Algernon” discusses the disability of Charlie which showcases how ‘the normal’ views his mental impairment as an aberration that separates him at his job. Hence, this is why he is constantly laughed at, judged, and feels inferior to others while he works. Charlie recalls the times when his coworkers would say “hey look at Joe or Frank or George he really pulled a Charlie Gordon. [He] didn’t know why they say that but they always laff” (289). Charlie Gordon was no longer his name, it was a label that titled “stupid” in big bold letters. The label is placed upon him as a way for the normal workers to use his disability as a means of laughter and mockery. He became an object for the sole purpose of entertainment. He is not talked to but rather talked at. His friends command him to mop toilets as a way to ridicule him for not being like them. It is because of this reason Charlie constantly seeks to be seen as ‘greater than’. I would like to emphasize that since normalcy is determined by society, Charlie can never try to obtain it. Whatever he says or do is discredited and laughed at because essentially he cannot separate himself from his disability. “Charlie Gordon” will always be known as the man who cannot speak or spell correctly and who cannot tell when he is being insulted. His name will always serve as an identifier for an act of

It shows that intelligence doesn’t give you happiness or friends. As Charlie got smarter he became more selfish and more people began to dislike him.

As amazing it might appear that Charles got to become smarter as time goes on, however, we see the negatives far outweigh the positive. Following the operation, Charlie becomes removed from his friends due of the fact that he's not able to converse at a normal and falls into a downward spiral in both psychological and physical health. Some folks could say that the operation was good, since Charlie figures out that Joe Carp and Frank Reilly, two people he believed were his buddies, simply kept him around to laugh at him. But after that experience, Charlie begins to suspect everybody about him and becomes too sensitive- he is pushed by something further. One reason why Charles Gordon shouldn't had the surgery that made increased his intelligence level is because he becomes too smart for his own good. One example of this could be where he's trying to converse with Miss Kinnian. He states he tried to avoid all discussions of intellectual theories and also to maintain the conversation on an easy, regular level, but Miss Kinnian "just stared at [him] blankly and asked [him] what [he] meant about the mathematical variance equivalent in Dorbermann’s Fifth Concerto,” (Keyes 18) This shows that although he's trying to communicate, he's not able to discuss simple subjects. This is very ironic, because the very reason that Charlie needed to undergo