Through the perception of society, a mentally disabled person is no longer human. How humans treat the people that need us the most is mainly negative. In the novel Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon a 32 year old man who has the IQ of a 8 year old due to his medical condition. After he receives a life altering experimental procedure, his intelligence has immediately been changed for the better, or so he thought. His expectations for the experiment was that he would become very smart and people would treat him well. Through Keyes style of writing, he portrays how humans treat the mentally disabled. Charlie is used as an example of this treatment through the often negative interactions he has with others.
As soon as readers get introduced to Charlie, we see that that the people that he calls his “best friends”, are not his real friends at all and have bullied and treated him very poorly. “Now I know what they mean when they say ‘to pull a Charlie Gordon.’ I’m ashamed” (Keyes 42). As Charlie’s intelligence progresses, he realizes that the people that he called his closest friends and even family, turn out to use him as a prop to point at and tease for their own amusement. Through the novel readers …show more content…
Mainly how these people are treated, Readers experience the hardships and sadness of how they’ve had to undergo their lives. Through the actions of people is truly sad, after all charlie has been through, what sticks in the characters minds throughout the story is only the fact that he is mentally disabled, and that he’s not normal. Through Keyes writing, readers see that how we label and treat the people in our society makes a true mark on a person's life. After Charlie's entire surgery outcome, he experience’s that people will always treat others who aren't exactly like them, and in most situations, with negative after
As soon as readers get introduced to Charlie, we see that that the people that he calls his “best friends”, are not his real friends at all and have bullied and treated him very poorly. “Now I know what they mean when they say ‘to pull a Charlie Gordon.’ I’m ashamed” (Keyes 42). As Charlie’s intelligence progresses, he realizes that the people that he called his closest friends and even family, turn out to use him as a prop to point at and tease for their own amusement. Through the novel readers …show more content…
Mainly how these people are treated, Readers experience the hardships and sadness of how they’ve had to undergo their lives. Through the actions of people is truly sad, after all charlie has been through, what sticks in the characters minds throughout the story is only the fact that he is mentally disabled, and that he’s not normal. Through Keyes writing, readers see that how we label and treat the people in our society makes a true mark on a person's life. After Charlie's entire surgery outcome, he experience’s that people will always treat others who aren't exactly like them, and in most situations, with negative after