Charlie Gordon Case Study

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.

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.

Fanny explains how Charlie went against nature by getting the surgery to increase his intelligence. Furthermore, Charlie Gordon a thirty seven year old man with a low IQ of 68 gets an operation done on him to raise his intelligence. But what he does not know the many problems the surgery will cause him. In the story “Flowers for Algernon” a science fiction short story by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon should not have had the operation in order for him to increase his

Before the enhancing surgery, Charlie Gordon seemed to have depend and trust others, while those people didn’t have his back. This could be a problem in the future, because people have to learn to be independent so when they lose someone important, they don’t crack under pressure. In the story, Keyes writes, “Sometimes somebody will say hey look at Joe or Frank or George he really pulled a Charlie Gordon. I dont know why they say that but they always laft” (Keyes, 289). Daniel Keyes uses dramatic irony as a way of displaying Charlies perception of his friends. Charlie assumes he has very nice friends, but the audience knows that his

Charlie may have had some disadvantages to his tripled IQ, such as the struggle of talking to regular people, but he was better off with the surgery; everything was easier for Charlie. If the surgery’s effects lasted forever, he would have had everything easy. He’d have a good life, a better job, and he would be with Ms. Kinnian rather than see her as just a teacher, like his former self did. He would notice whenever someone made fun of him, or bullied him. Charlie was much more aware of various things after the surgery, so in general, Charlie was better off with the effects after the

I believe that Charlie is happier when he is less intelligent before the operation. You know the saying ignorance is bliss? That's what I think this is. Sometimes when I get bored I think about things. This is one of them. Would you rather be happy and not know something bad is happening? Or would you rather be unhappy and know that something bad is happening. Charlie was happiest before the operation. He didn't know that his "friends" weren't really his friends. He didn't know that his whole work place was making fun of him. He was happy though. Then he was intelligent, and knew what everyone was doing, he wasn't happy. He knew his "friends" weren't his friends. He knew everyone makes fun of him. He wasn't happy. In fact, he was so upset that

At first he thinks it is a mindless job that he can handle. But then he goes to the hospital for the surgery. After the surgery, he becomes very smart. Then once back at work he changes the way the machines work. He says, "I figured out a new way to line up the machines in the factory, and Mr. Donnegan says it will save him ten thousand dollars a year in labor and increased production." (Keyes, 200) Charlie used his raised IQ to help make the company work in a smarter and more efficient way. He left what he knew becuase he was promised the chance to be smarter than he was before and it

One thing Charlie repeated many times before the surgery was “I want to be smart” (Keyes 225) also that he would do whatever it takes to become smart he would work really hard so he could be smart and fit in. That is why Charlie should have had the A.I. to give him what he really wanted even if it wasn’t permanent. A common argument against this position is that the surgery wasn't permanent and that it is not worth being smart for a few weeks. But i argue that Charlie was very grateful for being smart even for just a little while. While he was smart he was able to make scientific advances that most people could not od in a lifetime And he did it in a few weeks and he was grateful to give back to the people who made him

Do you choose intelligence over happiness? “I don’t know what’s worse, to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you’ve always wanted to be, and feel alone.” Writes Charlie Gordon (Keyes 298). In Flowers for Algernon, Charlie Gordon is a young man who struggles with mental retardation. His dream is to be intelligent so he can be like the rest of the world. Charlie goes through an experimental surgery that increases his intelligence. But the consequence of his tripled intelligence is that Charlie Gordon is not as happy as he was before surgery. Before his surgery, Charlie was oblivious to his “friends” being mean to him. After, he realized what kind of people they really were. Before surgery, Charlie’s ignorance hid him from the true, harsh reality. After surgery, Charlie’s ignorance disappeared, making him realize how fake and disappointing the world can be. Before Charlie’s surgery, he was happy, but felt oblivious to the world surrounding him. After surgery, he was pleased with his intelligence when it reached its peak. But when Charlie’s intelligence began to deteriorate, he became upset that he couldn’t think the way he could when he was smart. From the reasons stated above, In Flowers for Algernon, Charlie Gordon is better off before surgery.

Now I know what it means “to pull a Charlie Gordon.’’ I’m ashamed.” (Keyes201). He always saw everyone as being his friend and everyone seeing him as an equal. At this moment he saw how people really saw him. For the first time in his life he saw his “friends” for what they really are. Even when Charlie became smart he started to be like everyone else, “I felt sick inside as I looked at his dull, vacuous smile, the wide, bright eyes of a child, uncertain but eager to please. They were laughing at him because he was mentally retarded, and I had been laughing at him too.” (Keyes207). He had been just like that boy once, and now he’s just like everyone who was laughing at him. He realized that he was becoming like the people who once laughed at him. This opened his eyes to how the world will treat people. It was worth the surgery because he got to experience the other side of

Charlie should not have had the operation because it ruined his relationships. After the operation, when Charlie reached genius level, he realized “This intelligence has driven a wedge between me and all the people I once knew and loved” (235). As Charlie’s intelligence started to progress, he began realizing that those he once called friends, thought he was just a joke. Since Charlie was not as smart as the people around him, he did not

Although he got to experience emotions, the surgery Charlie Gordon had worsened his quality of life because he realized his friends were making fun of him, he could no longer conversate, and he became depressed.

He doesn't have much spelling mistakes as he used to and is starting to learn more advanced techniques in writing such as commas. In fact, on Charlie's progress report, Ms. Kinnan states " Charlie, you're learning fast." In addition, Ms. Kinnian looked at Charlie in an unusual way. From this, I can infer that Ms. Kinnian is surprised by the rapid growth rate of Charlie's intelligence and is scared of him. According to Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss, Charlie's I.Q. which used to be 68 will soon reach over 200. Since he was getting smarter, he came up with a new way to line up the machines in the factory, which will save ten thousand dollars a year in labor and increased production. Now, his co-workers started to avoid Charlie because of his successfulness. It even says on page 9 that his co-workers had to buy some things for their wives as an excuse trying to avoid

In the beginning, he wasn’t very smart, but he was happy. He didn’t understand things, he didn’t know how to spell, he was childish, but he was happy. The story explains, “ She told me this test and the other one the raw-shok was for getting personalty. I laffed so hard. I said how can you get that thing from inkblots and fotos.” (Keyes, 55) The text explains that he was happy, he can’t spell, and that he is childish. Then when he had the operation, he became so knowledgeable that he lost his friends and wasn’t very happy. Being happy is more important than being intelligent, and Charlie lost his happiness because he wanted to be

Charlie Gordon was a mentally challenged adult who got surgery because he believed that the surgery would make him smarter, but after the surgery, his quality of life worsened. Before surgery, Charlie was happy, nice and a funny human being. Then, after surgery, he became an irritable and angry. He is rude to his teacher, Alice, when the only thing she does is help him. For instance, in progress report 17 October 18, Charlie said, “But why am I so irritable?