‘“You’ve got to find the answer inside you-feel the right thing to do”’ (Keyes 84). This quote from Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes occurs when the teacher of a cognitively impaired individual, Charlie Gordon, is explaining to him that he needs to make his own decisions after he asks her for advice. In the book, Charlie undergoes an operation, making him able to learn. He has many interesting encounters, and he meets a mouse named Algernon along the way who went through the same experiences as him. Flowers for Algernon follows the life of Charlie Gordon through the progress reports which establish Charlie Gordon’s society, the operation Charlie receives that creates change, and the change of Charlie becoming intelligent and then regressing
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The operation was recommended for Charlie by Alice Kinnian, Charlie’s teacher and later one of his love interests. Before the operation, Charlie races a mouse several times, named Algernon, who already went through the procedure as one of Charlie’s tests in order for the doctors to go through with the procedure. Every time they race, Algernon beats Charlie, making Charlie frustrated with himself. The same happens after the procedure because they continue to test Charlie to see his progress. Charlie becomes angry because he thought the operation would automatically make him smart. Charlie continues to lose, until one day when we writes in his progress reports, “I beet Algernon. I dint even know I beet him until Burt Selden told me” (30). After he beat Algernon, he lost once again because he became so excited, but then he won eight more times. Charlie continues to improve his intelligence, but with intelligence comes attention from women. Charlie becomes interested in his teacher, Alice, but their relationship is complicated because of Charlie’s delay in emotional growth. Later, Charlie also gets involved with his neighbor, Fay. Charlie goes a bit farther with Fay because he did not know her before the operation. The most important change caused by the operation is Charlie meeting his family again after over fifteen years. “I went to see Rose three days ago. Finally, I forced myself to borrow Burt’s car again. I was afraid, and yet I knew I had to go” (238). When Charlie was a little boy, his parents refused to accept the fact that he was different than the other children, and his sister was very mean to him because of the way children treated her for being his sister. When intelligent, Charlie couldn’t decide whether or not he wanted to see them again, but he decided to visit them. This caused change because Charlie finally made peace with himself and he felt satisfied. Overall,
The operation was recommended for Charlie by Alice Kinnian, Charlie’s teacher and later one of his love interests. Before the operation, Charlie races a mouse several times, named Algernon, who already went through the procedure as one of Charlie’s tests in order for the doctors to go through with the procedure. Every time they race, Algernon beats Charlie, making Charlie frustrated with himself. The same happens after the procedure because they continue to test Charlie to see his progress. Charlie becomes angry because he thought the operation would automatically make him smart. Charlie continues to lose, until one day when we writes in his progress reports, “I beet Algernon. I dint even know I beet him until Burt Selden told me” (30). After he beat Algernon, he lost once again because he became so excited, but then he won eight more times. Charlie continues to improve his intelligence, but with intelligence comes attention from women. Charlie becomes interested in his teacher, Alice, but their relationship is complicated because of Charlie’s delay in emotional growth. Later, Charlie also gets involved with his neighbor, Fay. Charlie goes a bit farther with Fay because he did not know her before the operation. The most important change caused by the operation is Charlie meeting his family again after over fifteen years. “I went to see Rose three days ago. Finally, I forced myself to borrow Burt’s car again. I was afraid, and yet I knew I had to go” (238). When Charlie was a little boy, his parents refused to accept the fact that he was different than the other children, and his sister was very mean to him because of the way children treated her for being his sister. When intelligent, Charlie couldn’t decide whether or not he wanted to see them again, but he decided to visit them. This caused change because Charlie finally made peace with himself and he felt satisfied. Overall,