Progress Report 16

Summary & Analysis

Charlie visits the Warren State Home and is surprised to see that it is not fenced. The caretaker explains to him that they cannot always closely supervise their four thousand patients but those who wander off, return to the home, knowing that the outside world does not accept them.

Charlie is happy to meet Thelma—the supervisor who seems warm and caring toward her wards. He also notices that some of the boys look after the younger patients. Charlie tries to imagine himself as a patient here and realizes that it is a place of resignation and the “living dead”.

Charlie shows tremendous maturity in not letting his emotions get in the way of his visit to the state home where he might be institutionalized forever.

July 15

Summary & Analysis

Charlie is unsure about visiting his mother but decides to concentrate on his work first. He notices a lack of drive in Algernon, who is now force-fed and decides to stop identifying with the mouse.

Charlie realizes that his relationship with Fay revolved only around sex and she does not care about his academic pursuits. He also makes a mental note to cut down on his drinking as his apartment has begun to get as messy as Fay’s.

Charlie’s self-awareness and control are admirable.

July 16

Summary & Analysis

Alice and Fay meet at Charlie’s apartment and seem to like each other, much to Charlie’s amazement. Alice observes that Fay loves Charlie but he admits that he has only ever loved Alice; she is concerned about his drinking and how it interferes with his work.

Alice wishes they could have a relationship and confesses that she had come, wanting to hate Fay. However, in her empathy and keen perception, Alice is aware that Fay is exactly the kind of woman Charlie needs in his life.

Charlie returns home and makes love to Fay but keeps thinking of Alice.

July 27

Summary & Analysis

Charlie now devotes all his time to his work and study, which makes Fay resentful. He has no sense of time or space and is fully consumed by his research— Charlie is doing a lifetime’s work in a few weeks because he does not know what fate lies ahead for him.

Charlie sounds almost like a learned philosopher in his simple yet profound understandings of time, memory and thoughts. He is clearly at the height of his intelligence.

Algernon’s state worsens and Charlie wonders what will happen to his own self.

July 28

Summary & Analysis

Fay now has a new boyfriend which comes as a relief to Charlie, who wishes to devote all his time and energy to his research.

Charlie notices that Algernon is sometimes alert and intelligent and sometimes, lethargic. He also becomes violent when he fails to clear a maze; Charlie is curious to understand if Algernon’s regression is an isolated example or a general principle of failure in the brain surgery. This is crucial to Charlie’s own future as well.

Charlie shows tremendous empathy and a desire to help others in his keenness to find out what went wrong just so he can help others that will come after him.

July 31

Summary & Analysis

Charlie enjoys being completely immersed in his work although it makes others worry about him. To him it is beauty, love and truth all rolled into one—his collection of knowledge and its application in his work.

He considers life and work to be the most wonderful gifts in a human being’s life and is grateful for his life. For once, Charlie is not anxious but content.

Fay’s new boyfriend is a dance instructor and he is happy for her, since he could never make much time for her.

August 11

Summary & Analysis

Charlie hits a roadblock in his work and decides to take a break, trusting his creative and subconscious mind to work on the problem. He goes to Mrs Nemur’s cocktail party but confesses that he finds it difficult to connect with and be friendly with people these days.

Charlie shows a very keen sense of observation and understanding of human behavior in perceiving Mrs Nemur’s attitude toward him and wisely decides to not argue with her when she belittles his contribution to the research that her husband leads.

Dr Strauss tries to get Charlie out of being rude to the party attendees but Charlie keeps muttering audibly and is scolded by Professor Nemur for his insolence. They get into an argument where Nemur expects gratitude from Charlie but the latter refuses to be treated like a guinea pig, and not a person.

They continue to argue and Charlie makes a profound statement—intelligence does not mean anything without human affection. He also has a moment of psychosis where he confronts his old, retarded self in the mirror and vows to not bow down to the old Charlie, without a fight. Charlie is aware of his own inner struggles and bipolarity in allowing either side of himself to have full control over his body and conscious mind.

He returns home, ashamed that he has become an insufferable and egoistic man and in a moment of self-pity, asks why he is so alone.

In the middle of the night, the flaw in the experiment becomes clear to him and he wants to return to work immediately.

August 26

Summary & Analysis

Charlie writes a letter to Professor Nemur with details of his research and why their experiment to enhance human intelligence does not bear any practicality. He also notes Algernon’s mental regression even though he is still physically youthful.

He concludes that artificially induced intelligence deteriorates at a rate directly proportional to the quantity of increase in intelligence. It is admirable that Charlie does not panic and writes a lucid letter, even thanking the entire team for their efforts and insisting on the importance of an experiment, regardless of its success or failure.

This is a poignant moment in the book as we realize and finally know that Charlie Gordon will regress to levels far worse than his previous mental retardation. It is heartbreaking since the reader now knows two Charlie Gordons—the likeable, mentally disabled youth and the fiercely intelligent and perceptive man.

September 1

Summary & Analysis

Charlie tells himself to not panic and continue to write his progress reports, as long as he is able to. He does not take offence to Professor Nemur and his team working on testing his theories and charts. He also tells Alice what will happen to him and her emotional breakdown makes Charlie decide to not let her blame herself. He is empathetic and selfless now.

September 2

Summary & Analysis

Charlie and everyone around him is waiting for his regression to show. He is adamant that no one should be blamed for his impending psychological fall but he wonders how long he can remain in his present state.

Charlie’s reports are getting shorter as he awaits his mental regression.

September 15

Summary & Analysis

Professor Nemur verifies Charlie’s findings and Charlie knows that they can make improvements on the experiment but he does not have the time to help in future research.

September 17

Summary & Analysis

Charlie is becoming forgetful and loses his temper when he cannot find things; he wonders if these are the first signs of his regression.

Algernon died and in his dissection, it became clear that his brain had reduced in size and weight. Charlie is, for the first time, frightened that the same thing will happen to him.

He buries Algernon in his backyard, with wild flowers, and cries at the loss of the only other living being to have gone through the same experiment as himself.

This is the first time the intelligent Charlie cries in memory of losing a loved one and also for himself.

September 21

Summary & Analysis

Charlie decides to visit his mother, after a memory revelation. He also vows to make his peace with her before meeting her so he is not harsh or foolish in her company. This is wise and deeply selfless, considering his present circumstances.

September 27

Summary & Analysis

Charlie visits his mother and is surprised to see his old street in shambles. He sees his mother cleaning the windows on a cold day and remembers that appearances to Rose meant a lot more than being herself—the appearance of a good wife and mother.

Charlie and Rose stare at each other for a while and when she recognizes him, Rose is terrified and runs into the house. Charlie follows her, breaking doors, and tries to have a normal conversation with her. He pleads with Rose to talk to him and she softens her stance, hypnotized by her retarded son speaking like an intelligent, grown man.

Rose shows signs of dementia and in a moment, forgets who Charlie is. When she remembers again, he gives her a science magazine that has published his article on the intelligence experiment. Charlie’s sister Norma’s sudden appearance in the house annoys him.

Norma is pleasant and cheerful around Charlie and they reminisce their childhood together. She is mortified at how mean she was to him as a child; Norma pleads with Charlie to stay with them and help her look after their mother—this pleases Charlie immensely, finally being the responsible big brother to his little sister.

Suddenly, Rose brandishes a knife, threatening to kill Charlie for hurting Norma. Luckily, Norma takes it away from her and both siblings share the vague sense of a memory which might have made Rose react in a violent manner.

Charlie cries like a child on his way back home. This meeting with his family seems to bring his life full circle in every aspect—emotions, intelligence and bonding.