Flowers For Algernon Ignorance Is Bliss

“Ignorance is bliss,” is an old saying used throughout time and can be applied to the tragic yet inspiring (5) story know as Flowers for Algernon. Avid writer and author, Daniel Keyes creates a mentally challenged character, Charlie Gordon, who has gone through his life completely unaware of his disability is given an opportunity to change everything. As the story progress Charlie is faced with a constant battle between intellect and emotion or happiness, which leads to some dire situations and choices he may not be ready to make. As a child, Charlie was abandoned by his parents at an early age due to his mother not coping with his disability. Working as a janitor in the bakery where he was basically raised by Mr. Donner, the man who owns

As Charlie transitions into an egotistical mindset, he fails to contemplate that he is casting his friends out of his life. By the time he does realize what he has done, he has already been fired from the bakery, which had served as his figurative home for his whole life. (2) As Charlie’s I.Q advances he begins to comprehend that his intellect is standing in the way of his happiness. Concerned with the possibility that his intelligence might deteriorate, Charlie begins to run experiments on Algernon to see what possible side effects may transpire. While conducting these experiments Charlie pushes his friend Fay out of his life as well as Alice Kinnian. Charlie’s experiments conclude that he is going to lose his intellect, and he becomes senile, which further supports that his intellect stood in the way of his happiness. After becoming emotionally unstable Algernon passes, which sends Charlie into a depression and he spends the rest of the time he is intelligent away from all of society. The brainpower that Charlie was temporarily given from an experiment has drastic consequences, thus making it unethical, (3) however the progress reports Charlie kept throughout the story serve as a basis for the incline and decline of the experiment.(2)
Before the operation Charlie was unaware of the way he was being treated or of how others viewed his disability throughout his whole life, but by the end of his progress reports he understands the way life is. The gift of intelligence was given to him, however this gift he was given was drawn away from him just as quickly. Many bad things occur to Charlie after the operation, but the war between his emotions and his mind stood above the rest of