Happiness In Flowers For Algernon

Most people live their entire life trying to find a valuable source of happiness. In Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon, the idea that intelligence is dangerous for it works againsts happiness is proven. This will be made evident by : Charlie realizes things happening around him now that he is intellectually advanced, his co workers starting to feel inferior to him, and having no one to talk, nor relate to now that he is smart.

To begin, as Charlie starts to understand the world around him, he finds out certain elements that he may not have wanted to know previously. He has begun to realize that his “friends” at work have been taking advantage of his disability for their own pleasure. Charlie mentions: “Joe Carp said I shou[l]d show the girls …show more content…
He was unable to control these changes since they were all situations that were happening before. He now just has noticed them since his brain is capable of further examining and acknowledging what is happening around him and to him. All his co workers felt unequal to him making them uncomfortable he ended up being fired. Mr. Donner, his boss, expresses “[n]othing’s wrong with your work. But something happened to you, and I don't understand it. Not only me… They're all upset. Charlie I got to let you go”(Keyes p.104). Here he explained that all the coworkers, including him, were distraught by this sudden change in Charlie. None of them understood what was happening, they did not make an effort to try. Instead they all decided it was something bad and it could not be tolerated in their work environment. This had left Mr. Donner no choice but to fire him so the bakery would run smoothly. Moreover, the bakery was practically a home to him “[t]he bakery is my home—”(Keyes p.103). This proves that he never truly felt welcome at his childhood home since his mother was so cruel and would even beat him. The bakery had always made him happy, it felt like a safe place. When he was fired, he felt complete emptiness inside. Alice mentioned that this has a resemblance to his childhood when his mother sent him away to live with his uncle, thus kicking …show more content…
His words started becoming to vast and subjects he would talk about was not information that everybody knew. In progress report 13 June 11th, Charlie is trying to get professor Nemur to explain an article that is in a different language. After he could not explain, Charlie started to get mad. He did not understand why the professor could not explain, for he always thought that the professors were supposed to be brilliant than him. Professor Strauss took him aside and explained that not everybody had the gift of language that he possessed. He pointed out “Nemur couldn't discuss those articles because he hasn't read them. He can't read those languages”(Keyes p.149). Charlie's intelligence is now superior to the professors. This is a big accomplishment that he would have wanted at the beginning, but now, he does not even notice this as a positive thing. He shrugged it off his shoulders as if it was nothing too special. In addition, he does not understand when other people get confused about something because to him it makes complete sense. He will start getting mad and frustrated when this happens. Now that Charlie has a mind of his own, he is making bad decisions when he does not get what he wants. For instance, when professor Nemours speech was not going his way and he did not agree with what he was saying, Charlie thought: “God damn him. He didn't know what he was