Essay

The story Flowers for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes is about Charlie Gordon a retarded man who goes through an operation which makes him a genius but the operation doesn’t last forever. In this time Charlie evolves into a much more intelligent and wiser man than anyone could have expected. Throughout the novel, Charlie grows a lot as a human being from wanting to be smart just like everybody else to just wanting to be accepted, he overcomes various obstacles which allow him to see life what it really is and it allows him to have a better understanding of the real world and how people really are, and coming to the conclusion that experiences are what life is really about rather than being better than everyone else.

Charlie is a retarded young man with an IQ of 68, who is very motivated to become smart Charlie shows this when he tells Dr.Strauss why he goes to Beekman school “I tolld him because all my life I wantid to be smart and not dumb and my mom always tolld me to try and lern just like Miss Kinnian tells but its very hard to be smart and even when I lern something in Miss Kinnians class at the school I ferget a lot”(Keyes 4) His eagerness to be smart is very remarkable. Charlies submission to socially conform when he allows people to make fun of him for friendship.”Its wasy to have frends if you let pepul laff at you.”(Keyes 311) Charlie doesn’t realize when people are laughing at him and not with him. Charlie then goes through an operation to increase his intelligence.

As Charlies intelligences increases he seems to feel more isolated from society then before. Charlies is beginning to realize the truth about the doctors “I was seeing themn clearly for the first time- not gods or even heroes, but just two men worried abo...

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... acceptance at Warren and that is really all Charlie ever wanted. “ Im going to have lots of frends where I go.” (Keyes, 311) Charlie has gone full circle and ends his jkournal asking for flowers to be put on Algernons grave.

Charlie Gordon went through a full circle in such a small amount of time from having an IQ of 68 to being a genius and then right where he left off. He realized everyone isn’t always who they appear to be and how cruel the real world really is to people who aren’t like everyone else. Charlie evolves into a much more intelligent and wiser man than anyone could have expected. Throughout the novel, Charlie grows a lot as a human being and learns a lot from his experiences, he overcomes various obstacles which allow him to see life for what it really is and it allows him to have a better understanding of the world and how people they really are.