Was Charlie Gordon Better Before His Surgery?

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.

On the contrary, the naysayers may argue that Charlie should have had the operation because he had gotten an experience to be smart;however, the operations negatives outweigh the positives. However, the other side experienced many difficulties. Such as when Dr.Strauss and Dr.Nemur the doctors that performed on Charlie; had a conversation with him and struggled on a response. As Charlie explains in

He wears glasses but only for watching T.V. and movies. Charlie has a great motive because all he wants is to be smart for example, "After the operashun I'm gonna try to be smart. I'm gonna try awful hard. (p.11)". Charlie, being intellectually disabled, doesn't understand things, making him constantly happy. This is because he doesn't think about life. Charlie gets bullied but thinks they're being nice to him when they do things like "He really pulled a Charlie Gordon that time. I don't know why they say it but they always laff and I laff too. (p.23)". After the operation, he had a different outlook on life. He wanted to become smart so that he could talk with his coworkers about intelligent things like politics. Although, the operation made him too smart. His way of thinking was based on facts and intelligence, rather than emotion, feelings and instinct. Charlie was a genius and they weren't. He didn't know how to control his emotion because he never knew he had them, often making him go into depression and be

He is functional, but moderately mentally disabled. Charlies main goal is to learn so he can be smart like everyone else. When he was suggested by his teacher for an operation that could make him smarter, he got excited because he actually had a chance. Before the surgery Charlie is completely innocent. Being innocent is defined as simple and naive. He has no experience because he has been under circumstances that did not allow him. He is a generally happy person that values companionship. Charlie sees the good in everybody and is nice to all, even when some are not particularly nice to him. Before the surgery Charlie is very ignorant to the jokes and slurs his “friends” express to him. He always enjoys going to work to see his friends because he likes how they joke around and laugh with him.

Charlie experiences drastic changes throughout the story. All of them are mentally due to the experimental operation he had. In the

Some people receive a life changing operation that will change them after surgery. Charlie Gordon changed a lot before and after surgery. One might argue Charlie Gordon was better off before the surgery or he was better after his life changing surgery. Charlie Gordon was better off not having his life changing operation. Before surgery Charlie Gordon had an IQ of 68 but after surgery he had an IQ of 300 far past genius status. Charlie’s IQ was not permanent. Later as Charlie’s IQ returns to 68 his look on the world changes.

Charlie Gordon is better off before surgery because he wasn’t aware of his friends being mean. After surgery, he realized that

The surgery performed, resulted in Charlie’s realization of flaws in humanity that existed. Charlie was not given the surgery to benefit him, but rather as a research tool to fix people with mental incapability. The surgery increased Charlie’s intelligence. As a result, Charlie could then see the impending, detrimental effects that even the neurosurgeons looked over. Along with the physical pain, Charlie was put through social and emotional pains all for the betterment of two greedy doctors and a self-absorbed

In life, humans experience change in varied forms. All human beings have experienced change in different aspects of life. People grow in ways that can affect the people around them, and the relationships they have with them. In like manner, Charlie Gordon—an unintelligent individual—had gone through a surgery that changed several aspects of himself—physical and mental. Prior to the operation, he was a gratifying adult with a genial smile. After the operation, he seems to gradually lose such aspects of himself. Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, displays how change is not always beneficial. Change can affect an aspect of life in a multitude of ways.

There is 14.3 million mentally retarded people in the United States. So who is going to stand up for them? Charlie Gordon, a 37-year-old man, was mentally retarded but was then given a chance to change the world of science. He was offered to have a surgery to increase his intelligence and he took it. He now had a chance to make amazing discoveries. The surgery was worth the experience because it opened doors for Charlie.

Charlie Gordon was an eager, hardworking man. He had a job and, a place to live. There was one thing "wrong" with him- he had a very low IQ score . He wanted nothing more then to be smart. What could be wrong with that? Charlie Gordon's doctors did not act ethically when they preformed the surgery to make him smarter. Ethics are rights, obligations and fairness. The are also based on ideas and what is right or wrong.

10)In my opinion, Charlie’s life is worse after having the surgery and returning to his original state, because he finds out his friends aren’t his real friends. When he finds out they were making fun of him, he feels betrayed and alone. Also, in the end, he is miserable and has to go to the Warren State Home, whereas before the procedure, he was very happy and lived in an apartment, and was very happy being enrolled in classes. Before the procedure he has a job at the bakery, and has hope for being smarter. After the procedure, he had found out how much trouble he had caused for his

Charlie was able to make true friends. After Charlie’s A.I surgery he realized who were his true friends rather than before believing everybody was his friend. “Later Frank Reilly came over and said Charlie if anybody

Before , the surgery they made fun of charlie they teased him & charlie didn’t know how to spell well he also didn’t know how to read well either.

The surgery went really well and his vocabulary, grammar, and writing were all starting to get better. Charlie was starting to comply with the doctors and the tests that they were running on him. Charlie was starting to mature on an emotional level and was remembering things about his family. Charlie was also starting to mature on a sexual level, and began getting feelings for his teacher, Ms. Kinnian.