Flowers For Algernon And Frankenstein Comparison

A massive, destructive, yellow-eyed creature takes its first breath. A man with almost no knowledge becomes much smarter than the average human over the course of a few weeks. These are the results of the human conducted experiments done in “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. These two stories follow characters that alter nature with their experimentations. Victor Frankenstein from Frankenstein animates an inanimate object that he creates using human cadavers. In contrast, Charlie Gordon from “Flowers for Algernon” grows up with a mental disability that causes him to have an extremely low intelligence quotient. Charlie goes through a brain surgery that allows him to gain excessive knowledge effortlessly. Although both of these unnatural procedures end up being successful, overall the experiments are more harmful than helpful to both Charlie and Victor. Charlie from “Flowers for Algernon” lives with a low intelligence level for his whole life, until he accepts an offer to be experimented on, and possibly become much brighter. After having brain surgery, he attempts to beat a mouse, named Algernon, at a maze race and afterwards he tells the reader, “I beat Algernon...after that I beat him 8 more times”(229). This passage suggests that Charlie’s brain operation was successful. Before his surgery, Charlie had made many attempts to beat Algernon, but he was never once victorious. However, after his brain is altered, he is able to beat Algernon eight consecutive …show more content…
Both characters’ experiments went well initially, but while both of the experiments were conducted successfully, their outcomes were not very successful. Charlie’s brain surgery ruined his social life and he lost almost all of his friends. On the other hand, Victor’s monster killed his closest friends and family members. In the end it seems that success is just as damaging as failure