Flowers for Algernon Book Report
Is your past ever truly behind you? Daniel Keyes plays with this concept throughout Flowers for Algernon. Since our past is not currently happening, it is hard to remember exactly what has transpired previously. When looking at your past, it is easy to think of ways things could have been better and actions you could have changed. Everyone carries their past with them and, at times, struggle with not letting it affect their future. Flowers for Algernon shows how the past can have a huge influence on a person's future and toys with the idea that your past can become your present.
For a "normal" person, memories are somewhat easy. Although they are not always correct, it is simple to access them and mull over them. Charlie does not have an easy time with thinking about his past and he inadvertently points this out by saying "I said I don’t remember" when asked how he found out about the Beekman School (3). Throughout the novel we see Charlie slowly gain more details on memories from his past. This reveals to the audience that events he interrupted one way are actually, the opposite. The biggest …show more content…
Flowers for Algernon showcases this saying by having Charlie reflect on his past and think of what he could have done differently. " I don’t understand about myself or my past" is an idea that Charlie repeats a lot when talking about actions he has previously performed (78). Flashbacks are an important part to Charlie's story because it is a tool that presents the idea of hindsight being perfect. The progress reports become a "flashback" for the audience because they allow readers to look back and notice the changes in Charlie as Charlie notices these changes in himself (2). There are things we all wish we could change about our past and this nagging thought does not exclude itself from Charlie's
Is your past ever truly behind you? Daniel Keyes plays with this concept throughout Flowers for Algernon. Since our past is not currently happening, it is hard to remember exactly what has transpired previously. When looking at your past, it is easy to think of ways things could have been better and actions you could have changed. Everyone carries their past with them and, at times, struggle with not letting it affect their future. Flowers for Algernon shows how the past can have a huge influence on a person's future and toys with the idea that your past can become your present.
For a "normal" person, memories are somewhat easy. Although they are not always correct, it is simple to access them and mull over them. Charlie does not have an easy time with thinking about his past and he inadvertently points this out by saying "I said I don’t remember" when asked how he found out about the Beekman School (3). Throughout the novel we see Charlie slowly gain more details on memories from his past. This reveals to the audience that events he interrupted one way are actually, the opposite. The biggest …show more content…
Flowers for Algernon showcases this saying by having Charlie reflect on his past and think of what he could have done differently. " I don’t understand about myself or my past" is an idea that Charlie repeats a lot when talking about actions he has previously performed (78). Flashbacks are an important part to Charlie's story because it is a tool that presents the idea of hindsight being perfect. The progress reports become a "flashback" for the audience because they allow readers to look back and notice the changes in Charlie as Charlie notices these changes in himself (2). There are things we all wish we could change about our past and this nagging thought does not exclude itself from Charlie's