After being exposed to knowledge, total ignorance was no longer an option for Charlie. In the novel entitled Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, Charlie went through three phases. His first phase was total ignorance, second was total knowledge, and the third was a mix between ignorance and knowledge. Charlie went through the first two phases bound to his mother’s actions done to him in the past. Also, in the end with a mix of ignorance and knowledge, he was able to remember some past events. Lastly, he had the ability to tell when people were not treating him nicely. Charlie is different in the end of the novel than he was in the beginning because he no longer lets his mother control him, he remembers the past, and he knows when people are making fun of him. …show more content…
He would not feel well when he saw naked people either. This was because when Charlie was peaking at Norma while she was naked in the bathroom, his mother hit him. Everytime he had a sexual thought, he would be slapped. While he was still ignorant, a naked lady showed Charlie her body, and he did not feel well when he saw it. In the end of the book, Charlie does not let his mother control him. Charlie wrote in a progress report, “She never pulls her shade down and thru my window when I put out my lights I can see her from the neck down when she comes out of the bath to dry herself. It makes me excited” (Keyes 303). He would watch a naked girl through his window, and did not feel sick. He would also look at naked girls in magazines. Charlie got over his past, and broke loose from the chains his mother bound him
In the beginning Charlie had very bad mental problems, he didn't have the experience everyone had. He couldn't spell well, talk well, etc. After he decided with Miss Kinnian to get the surgery he started getting smarter and smarter. Towards the end he lost his job and his girlfriend. After that he started slacking and then he went from getting smarter and smarter to getting dumber and dumber to a point where he got worse than he was before. I found the end of the book inspiring because no matter how smart you get if you start slacking and never go back to trying again you life can go upside
Charlie lived in a paradise-like world, he though he had many "friends". The only thing he felt he was missing was brains. When he was offered the chance to become 'smart' he jumped at the chance to be like everyone else. Unprepared for the changes intelligence would bring, Charlie lost his innocence. When he realizes his 'friends' don't actually like him they just liked to make fun of him.
“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. Author Daniel Keyes creates a mentally challenged character, Charlie Gordon, who has went 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.
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.
Charlie’s intelligence started to fall. Slowly he lost it all, from foreign languages to math equations to reading and writing.
not know is that his aunt molested him when he was little. Charlie does not realize this till his
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.
When Charlie was really young, his Aunt Helen sexually abused Charlie up until her death. This causes as whole new set of symptoms for Charlie, including the PTSD categories of intrusion and avoidance. Charlie experiences flashbacks (dissociative reactions) of the nights that his Aunt Helen would violate him, and what was happening during that time. He has intense distress in response to reminders of this, which is evident when Sam touches Charlie 's hand, and then he remembers how his Aunt Helen used to touch his hand the same way before she would sexually violate him. Charlie also experiences avoidance symptoms, because he works hard in trying to avoid internal reminders of the
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.
Charlie was innocent, he didn’t have many social experiences. Think back when the first time Charlie saw Laura’s dead body. “Why would you bring me here? I shouldn’t be here. I have to go back home. You have to tell someone about this.” His anxious shows he didn’t want to participate this mess, in part, he’s smart enough to know it would be a trouble, but he’s also full of fear. After Jasper’s persuasion, Charlie decides to help him find the real murderer. Craig Silvey gives us a huge surprise at the beginning of the book, we might think it’s a story about children’s adventure. On the contrary, as things happened, we come to realize it is not just a simple story, it’s more about a horrific thing. When Charlie run into this horrific thing, he is feared. Maybe, it’s more appropriate to
When Charlie was younger, Aunt Helen used to take advantage of him and molest him. Charlie forgave Aunt Helen but he was very traumatized. He says, “Despite everything my mom and doctor and dad have said to me about blame, I can't stop thinking what I know. And I know that my Aunt Helen would still be alive today if she just bought me one present like everyone else. She would be alive if I was born on a day that didn't snow. I would do anything to make this go away. I miss her terribly. I have to stop writing now because I feel too sad.” (92) Charlie feels guilty about Aunt Helen’s death because she went to get him an extra present. No one else but Aunt Helen got him a second present for his birthday. Charlie thinks Aunt Helen is the best person ever because she was the only one that hugged him. He feels alone at the beginning of the story but he doesn’t stay away from his friends. Eventually he realizes that he has a
Many popular novels are often converted into television movies. The brilliant fiction novel, Flowers for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes, was developed into a dramatic television film. Flowers for Algernon is about a mentally retarded man who is given the opportunity to become intelligent through the advancements of medical science. This emotionally touching novel was adapted to television so it could appeal to a wider, more general audience. Although the novel and film are similar in terms of plot and theme, they are different in terms of characters.
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.