The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

Imagine having your dream come true but then regretting it all and not being able to reverse it. The short story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, is a tale about a learning delayed adult name Charlie Gordan who is given the opportunity to increase his intelligence by artificial means. It is through the character’s stages of intellectual development that one is able to see the second chance provided to change oneself. Despite any positive outcomes associated with the surgery, Charlie Gordan

In the story “Flowers for Algernon,” and the movie Charly by Daniel Keyes, the main character, Charlie Gordon, a mentally ill middle aged man, chooses to undergo an experimental surgery to promote his intelligence and be assimilated into society. The movie, Charly, changes the point of view, foreshadowing, and symbolism of the narrative,”Flowers for Algernon,” which makes the story more effective. The movie Charly changes the point of view from the story “Flowers for Algernon” to a third person objective

Most people think that being smart is the best thing someone can have and having intellectual greatness is the key to happiness. However, in Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, Charlie learns that intelligence does not equal happiness. After Charlie gets an experimental surgery to increase his intelligence, Charlie learns an important lesson. Charlie’s friendships, situations, and conclusions he draws in his writings teach him that he does not need to be smart to be happy. For instance, Charlie’s

Humans are human; all people change in one way or the other over the course of certain events. Some of the changes people experience may cause them to have a sad outlook on certain matters, others may cause people to have a positive outlook on a matter. Just like all other humans, Charlie, from Daniel Keyes’ “Flowers For Algernon” changes over some time too. His life drastically changes after he gets surgery to alter his intelligence level. In Daniel Keyes’ “Flowers For Algernon,” Charlie becomes

In “Flowers For Algernon”, Daniel Keyes reveals how normality becomes a dubious construct through the examination of Charlie and his disability. While Charlie tries to surpass the abnormality that comes along with his mental condition through an operation, he becomes the ideal human in order to be considered “normal”. However, Keyes effectively acknowledges that Charlie ends where he first started without ever belonging. The limits of social boundaries results in discrediting and devaluing any being

and he never understood the concept. In the article “‘You're Not the Same Kind of Human Being’: The Evolution of Pity to Horror in Daniel Keyes's Flowers for Algernon”, it is pointed out, "if Charlie is unaware of his powerlessness in the midst of science, he is also unaware of his isolation in the midst of society. His family has previously abandoned him, something Charlie is only vaguely aware of... " (Cline 2). This quote challenges ignorance because if Charlie would’ve known all of this information

There are many different ways to share or express a story, such as writing a short story or making a play. These two techniques have both been made about the story of Flowers for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes. Flowers for Algernon is about a 37-year-old man who compared to other adults, is very below average when it comes to intelligence. He later finds that scientists are in need of a test subject for an intelligence booster, which Charlie takes and later finds that the effect is temporary.

For many people, it is a struggle to find what makes their life good: financial success, power, love, happiness. In the book Flowers for Algernon, the reader is presented with a choice: whether Charlie’s life is better when he is less intelligent or when he is more intelligent. Though Charlie has increased intelligence and better comprehension of the world after his surgery, he is more outgoing and kind to all when his degree of knowledge is low. He is also happier, and lacks painful memory of his

While Daniel Keyes in “Flowers for Algernon” portrayed hope for a mentally impaired man, Charlie Gordon, the operation failed with devastating consequences! Charlie was not fit for the world around him. The societal conflicts became a harsh reality for Charlie. He was ultimately a human experiment to fix mentally impaired people. Charlie was seen not as a human but as a test. If the doctors passed this test, they would have a life full of accomplishment ahead of them. Charlie, as a genius, understood

Flowers for Algernon is about a man named Charlie Gordon, he 32 years old, and is a subject to an experiment for intellectual growth. Charlie is put through the test as a hope for raising intelligence for retarded adults. Eager to be intelligent, Charlie goes with the process and the operation is a success. The operation takes its time to work in Charlie, like a seed. Each new thing he learns is a growth spurt for the seed, but like all plants, they must wither eventually. From then on, Charlie starts