Flowers For Algernon Response

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Flowers for Algernon- Response

Often in life, there are big decisions one must make. These decisions can change one’s life for forever, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. This is much like Charlie from Flowers for Algernon. He makes a decision that transforms him mentally. He gets an operation that triples his IQ, but it doesn't last forever. In the short story Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, Charlie should not have had the intelligence operation.

There are many reasons why Charlie should have stayed away from the operation. First, when Charlie goes to work at the factory, he shares his interactions with his co-workers. Charlie’s entry from that day says, “Then Frank Reilly said what did you do Charlie forget …show more content…

For example, some may argue that Charlie wanted to be smart so bad that he is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish it. They may say that if one really wants something bad enough, then the negative side effects don’t really matter. However, one must consider how it will affect one’s life in the long run. Charlie ended up dieing- his life is so short that he most likely missed out on several great opportunities. Even if he did get those two months of bliss, it is not worth his life being cut short. Another point some may argue, is that after the surgery, Charlie is able to see people’s true intentions. He no longer just sees what he wanted to, but instead sees reality. This is true, but one must consider that when Charlie starts to see people as they really are, it is very upsetting to him. He is so much happier before, when he thought everyone is his friend. When Charlie is describing his work day in his journal he writes, “Then Frank Reilly said what did you do Charlie forget your key and open your door the hard way. That made me laff. Their really my friends and they like me” (272-273). Even if Charlie didn’t understand the truth, at least he is happy, and why would one want to sacrifice their happiness. One has to consider what is really valuable in life. One final point some may argue is that, Charlie knows what he is doing. He

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