In the novel "Flowers for Algernon", the main character, Charlie Gordon undergoes an experimental operation to elevate his intelligence because of his mental disorder. Charlie’s intelligence level essentially skyrocketed after the surgery, his outlook on life changed notably. In terms of his happiness ironically ,these changes are not positive which shows that happiness is not directly proportional with intelligence.
Happiness is difined as a sense of content. The happiness of a person can be destroyed if the ongoing order of that person is changed or disturbed. In the novel Charlie is a 37 year old man who is mentally retarted but still functional. A statement such as "Im gonna try awful hard" was often spoken by Charlie which showed that
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Because of his childish nature he sees the people around him as well intended as he is. Therefor he cannot see people’s negative intentions towards himself. With the rise in Charlie’s mental abilities he also becomes more self-conscious, with a greater sensitivity to how others see him. For this reason, he demands that Alice should not see him any longer because he realized that the positive effects of the operation will soon wear off and then his relationship will no longer be as it was. This leaves him with little dignity which makes him willing to give up his most edifying relationship ever to preserve what is left of it. The old Charlie never would have thought of things that way after undergoing the operation, with his expanded ability to see beyond the exterior and into the true incitement of other people, he finally sees that he has been an entity of derision by others, who he previously thought of as his friends. Intelligence brought sadness to Charlie rather than happiness opposed to what he anticipated. This leads Charlie to the following declaration: “I don’t know what’s worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you’ve always wanted to be, and feel alone” which shows that intelligence doesn’t define a persons
To begin with, Charlie Gordon experiences pain throughout the novel. “Those who want to reap the benefits of this great nation must bear the fatigue of supporting it,” (Paine). In the novel Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes Charlie Gordon is a thirty-seven year old man who is mentally impaired and has a I.Q. of sixty-eight. This quote relates to the novel because it is saying that if anyone wants the benefits they have to go through some bumps to get there. Even though Charlie did get his feelings hurt throughout the journey, his operation had more benefits than costs.
He was much happier before the operation. The situations were the same before. But, after the operation, he had started noticing the obstacles. Joe and Frank used to tease Charlie before, but now he was ashamed and realized that they had befriended him to make fun of him. He now started noticing the wicked incidents in his surrounding and started to compare them to his life. He became lonely after he got fired from his job. His life had become a track lane with obstacles all along the way after he became intelligent. Intelligence does not always lead to happiness. The story “Flowers for Algernon” proves that ignorance is
Before the operation, he exhibited some clear strengths such as determination, a positive attitude, friendly with people and some weaknesses such as education and inability to understand the adult world. After the operation, he begun to change in numerous ways. Charlie started out as being not really intelligent. Being around with “smart” people made him want to change and became “intelligent” just like his “friends.” I think its all crazy. If you can get smart when your sleeping why do people go to school. That thing I don't think will work. I use to watch the late show and the late late show on TV all the time and it never made me smart (Keyes 118). This part of the book led Charlie’s flashbacks takes place of how he was raised or nurtured through his childhood, Of how he wanted to try to become smart. However Dr. Strauss believes that his sleep would help Charlie be able to learn. However in his nature, his disability cannot help him at all, doesn’t matter how much he tries to watch TV and tries to go to sleep, I wouldn’t allow him to learn anything at all. The nurture of this is having the doctor recommend Charlie to do this. His disability also not just affects him but his family as well. His disability kind of makes his sister miserable as well, jealous over how the parents focus on Charlie due to his disability, despite the successes the sister achieves in school. Thus Charlie’s nature towards others has a negative effect which is towards his sister. Charlie was raised by his parents but through a condition that would then follow him probably for the rest of his life as well as being mainly raised through this experiment, which possibly wouldn’t help him at all in the near
He is then judged even harsher which is why you shouldn’t try to be someone that you’re not. You should stay true to yourself. In the story, it says “Their going to use me! I am so exited I can hardly write” (Keyes page 351). This implies that Charlie is anxious to undergo the surgery that will make him smart. Another part says “If you volenteer for this experament you mite get smart”. (Keyes page 351) This shows that the operation will make him more intelligent so he can fit in with everyone else. This proves that Charlie is trying to be someone he is not in order to fit
Charlie’s story began with the surgery, the biggest decision he made in his life. Although he was a guinea pig in the procedure, he wasn’t worried at all about the surgery, but rather on becoming smart as fast as he could. Supposedly these doctors were doing Charlie the greatest favor he would ever receive, and he was so eager to learn as much as he could. Soon however, Charlie would encounter challenges he never faced with the intelligence of a 6 year old. Before his surgery, Charlie had great friends in Miss Kinnian and the bakery workers. After the surgery the relationships between Charlie and everyone he knew would take a drastic turn.
In the world, people are wired to hunt for happiness, but what they are really deeming for is satisfaction. Happiness and satisfaction are similar, but not the completely the same. Satisfaction is the content feeling you get after a big meal or taking a long nap on a Sunday afternoon, while happiness is a chosen factor that can only be achieved through willpower. Many try and search the external world for the happiness that lies within. Clarisse asks Montag if he is happy, and when he realizes he is not, he turns to knowledge to find it (Bradbury 10).
As a result of the operations, Charlie gains the experience of what it is like to be intelligent. Therefore, he sees the world as it is. “Only a short time ago, I learned that people laughed at me. Now I can see that unknowingly I joined them in laughing at myself. This hurts most of all” (76.) He can now truly understand how the outside world functions and how he is truly treated.
The scientists finally decide Charlie is the perfect subject for the experiment due to his motivation and his eagerness to be smart. As Charlie's IQ begins to grow, so does his ability to understand how cruel the world around him really is. While Charlie's knowledge grows, his attitude changes along with those around him. Charlie loses his job, friends, happiness, and even his willingness to care or learn. On the contrary, Charlie also experiences and learns a lot from this experiment.
...ss cannot be deprived from increased intelligence, particularly without emotional maturity. Throughout the beginning of the Novel all Charlie Gordon wants in life is to become smarter so which will in turn make him happier and help him gain more friends. Not even fame or worldwide recognition could overcome his will to become happier from intelligence. However as the book progressed and Charlie did receive his wish to become smarter he realized, without emotional maturity he was even worse off than before which then may have caused his relapse and loss of memory bringing Charlie back to his previous condition. Expecting to be happy from the respect from other people by being intelligent is neither reasonable nor logical. Happiness needs to be derived from within, and cannot be won from other people, and those who believe it can are not yet emotionally stable.
Charlie has difficulty completing simple tasks such as writing down his progress. In Progress Report 1 he says “I cant think anymore because I have nothing to rite so I will close for today…”(Keyes 1). This shows how hard it was for Charlie to write about his progress in the journal before his operation. Charlie also has difficulty understand tasks other people assign him. An example of this would be in Progress Report 3 when Gimpy asks Charlie to put the tray of rolls in the oven. He has a difficult time attempting to do so and drops the tray. “Gimpy hollers at me all the time when I do something rong, but he reely likes me because hes my friend. Boy if I get smart wont he be surprised”(Keyes 4). Other people seem to get frustrated with Charlie when he does not do things right. Another issue of morality that can be seen through Charlie is how he is treated like an animal. In order to get Charlie to relax Gimpy gives Charlie a “bright shiny object”. This is so that he can play with it like a person would give their dog. “The pendant is a brightness that Charlie remembers but he do...
For Charlie, Ignorance is bliss. He realizes that his so called ? friends? were just using him to entertain their perverse humor. Also, he was also fired from the job that he loved so much because his new intelligence made those around him feel inferior and scared.
He doesn’t lack of encourage anymore, he has overcome his fear and despair. “I have to go. I have to disobey every impulse and leave her for Jasper Jones, for Jack Lionel, for this horrible mess.” We see a different Charlie from his determination. From escape to face up, he shows us more responsible. From helpless to assertive, he comes to realize what he really wants. He knows the dark side of human nature and this unfair and cold world. His innocent, his perfect world has been destroyed by those horrible things; because of these, he knows the part of real world, he knows how the ‘dark’ actually changes this world, his friends, his family, included
Before Charlie had the operation preformed on him, he had friends at the bakery he worked at. They were not really his friends because they always made jokes about Charlie, but he was not smart enough to realize it. As he gets smarter he loses his friends because they think he is just trying to act smart.
We can all sympathize with Charlie on the surface, we have all made mistakes that we have to live with. Charlie is attempting to move forward with his life and erase the mistakes of his past. The ghosts of his past torment him repeatedly throughout the story, his child's guardians despise him and his old friends do not understand him.
Charlie’s statement translates into that people who value intelligence will not be given the same satisfaction they desire if they don’t contain a heart. To inaugurate, in the novel, Charlie Gordon states, “What you value is intelligence, but the mind without the heart isn’t worth a damn…”(Film). I agree with him in virtue of people without love aren’t living. There are those who are smart, but don’t have lovers. Gordon was facing trouble with loving Ms. Kinnian because he knew he would leave her intellectually. Charlie still knew himself. He couldn’t step away from his former being because that Gordon was equipped with soul, unlike the other. He shifted from a human into an android and he hated it. In his statement Charlie states how his older