How Does Charlie Become Smarter

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.

As Charlie's intelligence increases he thinks that he will be more liked the higher his intelligence climbs, but later Charlie discovers that whether you are of lower intelligence then most of the population or of higher intelligence you still will not quite fit in. "I've discovered that no one really cares for Charlie Gordon whether he is a moron or a genius. (Keyes 172) Charlie's relationship with Alice also shows how whether he is of extreme low extreme high intellect he still cannot communicate with her the way he needs to. " I'm just as far away from Alice with an I.Q of 185 then when I had an IQ of 70" (Keyes 88). In today's society if a persons thoughts slightly differ from those of the majority of the population then they will be scrutinized and shunned from the others. People are not willing to look at an idea through a different perspective and this is shown in Flowers For Algernon, when Charlie discovers the fault in Dr. Nemur's experiment and confronts him about it, Dr. Nemur treats him like the old Charlie who is to mentally challenged to be correct. It is repeated numerous times during the novel that Charlie was "created" by the experiment and was not a "human being" because of his below 100 IQ before the operation. "I'm a human being, a person- with parents and memories and a history- and I was before you ever wheeled me into that operating room." (Keyes 112). Society needs to learn that even those who are different then most of us still are humans and

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

“I hope they use me. Miss Kinnian says maybe they can make me smart. I want to be smart” (Keyes 221). When given the opportunity to a life-changing operation, Charlie Gordon, Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes, was able to experience his life with his own self-worth. Throughout his 37 years of life, there has been the consistent struggle with his intellectual disability. With artificial intelligence, the events Gordon went through were positive. Most people could only dream of having the accessibility to artificial intelligence and experience just what Charlie did, even if it wasn’t forever. In comparison to society around this individual Charlie was viewed as dumb. That viewpoint drove a barrier between him and those around him. The experiment

A high Intelligence Quotient may not always correlate with one's happiness. In the short story, “Flowers for Algernon,” by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon is a mentally challenged man with an I.Q. of sixty-eight. Due to his motivation, and desire of becoming “smart,” he attends an adult night school class with his teacher, Miss Kinnian where “[he tries] the hardist and reely… [wants] to learn” [sic] (6). Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur select Charlie upon the proposition by Miss Kinnian. The doctors will perform an operation which may triple Charlie’s I.Q. and “make [him] smart” (5). The operation on Charlie made; him into a social outcast, lose his routine and income, and bring him to an early death. Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss’ operation on Charlie Gordon should not be performed.

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

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

Charlie Gordon is a 32 year man who is mentally disabled, works at Donner's bakery as a janitor, and lives independently in a apartment building. He also attends evening classes at Beekman College Center for Mentally challenged adults to learn to read and write. His teacher Miss. Kinnian is very helpful and caring towards Charlie, she even recommended him for a research experiment on intelligence. Charlie was medically changed to be smarter yet his life was changed for the

Charlie Gordon knows he is not very intelligent and that the only thing he is good at is his job. In Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, Charlie, a 37 year old man, has an I.Q. of 68 which is a result of a mental disorder. Later on he gets an opportunity from Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur to get an A.I. surgery which would triple his I.Q. Charlie takes them up on the offer. After the surgery, Charlie gets smarter, and a lot people get scared after knowing him as not being intelligent. He even gets fired from his job because everyone felt uncomfortable and inferior around him. They signed a petition for him to not work there anymore. Charlie didn’t know what to do since it’s all he’s ever done. It’s great that he got more intelligent, but Charlie’s life was way better before the surgery. He was happier, he was more likeable, and he got along with others better.

Charlie wanted to be smart like everyone else but that ended up making him unlikable and far away from everyone, he found out the meaning of love and got into a relationship, but also ended a relationship, and Charlie got a normal life and a knowledgeable brain given and taken away from him. Charlie had many hardships and negatives through this experiment and it hurt more than just himself. People try to change who they are but a person is a person and they are themselves for a reason and other people need them the way they are like other people loved charlie even when he was not smart. People should not have to change who they

Have you ever thought what it would be like to be a genius? Well, 37-year-old Charlie Gordon experienced it. Charlie got picked to undertake an operation that would triple his IQ of 68. He wanted more than anything to be smart and fit in, this was a great opportunity for him. Charlie got to be intelligent, even if it was for only a little while therefore Charlie was better off having the surgery than if he never had it all.

Even though he appears to be the same as when they started the experiment, Charlie is different. He has more life experience and on the inside, he knows about himself and his feelings. He doesn’t get to express who he is when he is mentally handicapped. It shows that no matter what your IQ is, you could be one of the smartest people in the world. Everyone expresses everything differently.

Charlie thought that being smart would solve all his problems,but he was incorrect. He thought if he was smart he would be like everybody else. Charlie didn't know what it was going to be like. The only thing he knew was that he was different. He wanted to be like other people he just wanted to be normal. He didn't know that he would be really smart that people wouldn't understand him. He thought he would be like everybody else but it just made it

For starters, most people in life spend it trying to get the job of their dreams and becoming smart. Other are living that dream already and don't have to worry. In the text, Charlie is a janitor at a box company and his coworkers make fun of him. Although he is getting smarter he wishes his was smart like others his age. Well after the operation he becomes smart and he became a scientist. He also learns different languages. When people finally get to

Though Charlie Gordon’s intellect quotient surgery had the (temporary) effect of skyrocketing him into the status of a genius, it also had the adverse result of bringing Charlie into a state of sadness. Teased and bullied thoroughly during his lifetime as a classified retardate, Charlie actually did experience happiness