Charlie's Operation In Daniel Keyes Flowers For Algernon

Flowers for Algernon Essay In the short story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, the main character Charlie Gordon longs to be as knowledgeable as his peers. When Charlie is offered the opportunity to become three times more intelligent, he takes advantage of the offer and is the subject of an experimental procedure. Although the operation was only successful for a short period of time, Charlie’s experience is a positive one, because of his increased awareness of the world around him, understanding of human behavior, and capacity for complex emotions. The operation allows Charlie to learn a great deal of information about the world. Some things are a disappointment, but he benefits from this knowledge. Charlie once thought that that the doctors must be the most brilliant people in the world. The operation helps him to see that although they are bright in some areas, the doctors may be ignorant in others. …show more content…
Charlie feels that he has been duped when he discovers that Dr. Nemur’s intelligence does not span to many subjects. “When he admitted this to me, I found myself almost annoyed. It was as If he’d hidden this part of himself in order to deceive me, pretending-as do many people, I’ve discovered-to be what he is not”(74). This frustration and disappointment stems from deep thoughts that Charlie would never have experienced before the procedure. Another emotion Charlie had never experienced before was love. Charlie begins to notice the good qualities of Mrs. Kinnian and his admiration for her soon developed into love. “The thought of leaving her behind made me sad. I’m in love with Miss Kinnian”(70). Love is a very complex emotion and the fact that Charlie is feeling love towards Miss. Kinnian emphasises his progress. The operation allowed Charlie to experience new emotions he never would have discovered without the