Charlie Gordon Flowers For Algernon Essay

Intelligence is difficult to change. Charlie Gordon, a 37 year old male has an IQ of 68. He is chosen to have surgery to triple his IQ. His teacher Ms. Kinnian suggested this operation to Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss. His IQ does triple, but it doesn’t come without consequences. In Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon should have not applied for the intelligence-altering surgery.

Charlie Gordon should have not done the surgery because he is unhappy with his life after it. He should’ve thought of the consequences that follow. Charlie says, “Then all of a sudden I rememberd some things about the operashun and me getting smart and I said holy smoke I reely pulled a Charlie Gordon that times. I went away before she came back to

the room. Thats why Im going away from New York for good”(Keyes 209). Charlie Gordon now sees how much a fool he is. He hates what he has done to others. 1 page before, Charlie says this to Miss Kinnian: “Miss Kinnian came to the door, but I said go away because I didnt want her to laugh at me”(Keyes 208). Charlie is also unhappy with himself and the people he had met. Charlie now knows he has turned into a monster of a person and he doesn’t like it. Others may disagree on why Charlie is unhappy. They think he is very happy and they think that the operation was successful. “There is so much that might be done with this technique. If I could be made into a genius, what about thousands of others like myself? What fantastic levels might be achieved by
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using this technique on normal people? On geniuses? There are so many doors to open. I am impatient to begin” (Keyes 203). Charlie is happy he has done the surgery that now he can look into this study and find out if it can work on all people. It is a large argument, but Charlie has not found success in life, therefore he is unhappy.
In addition to not being happy, Charlie Gordon is also very lonely.

Charlie has very few friends and has no contact with his family. Charlie insists, “I dont want to do nothing like that agen. I dont want Miss Kinnian to feel sorry for me. Evry body feels sorry at the factery….”(Keyes 209). Charlie is now trying to separate from others. Charlie is very lonely and may have depression if he doesn’t want to be teased or felt sorry for. Charlie in addition says this earlier: “I didn’t know what to do or where to turn. Everyone was looking at me and laughing… I never knew that Joe and Frank and the others liked to have me around all the time to make fun of me. Now I know what it means when they say ‘to pull a Charlie Gordon’. I’m ashamed”(Keyes 193). Charlie now knows he doesn’t have any friends. They were never his friends which only leaves him Algernon, Dr. Strauss, Dr. Nemur, and Miss Kinnian to rely on. Others might think that Charlie cannot be lonely around the whole factory. There is so many people to meet or talk to. Charlie says, “Everybody laffed and we had a good time and they gave me lots of drinks and JOe said Charlie is a card when hes potted. I dont know what that means but everybody likes me and we have fun”(Keyes 190). Charlie is hanging out with his friends and having a good time after the surgery, therefore people think he is not lonely. But, after work, he doesn’t have anything to do other than go to the lab and get tested

on.

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Ultimately to not being happy and being lonely, Charlie’s surgery will not last and will kill him. He doesn’t know this until Algernon starts to deteriorate and die. Charlie infers,”I’ve got to find the reason for the sharp regression in Algernon. I’ve got to know if and when it will
happen to me”(Keyes 204).

Charlie now knows he can follow in Algernon’s footsteps in the near future. Charlie later finds out what could happen to him. Charlie says, “Algernon died two days ago….. I guess the same thing is or will soon be happening to me. Now that it’s definite, I don’t want it to happen”(Keyes 205). Charlie knows that he could also die from the surgery he has been forced into to take. Some say he might not die because a human’s brain is more strong than mice brains. They say the experiment was not meant to harm Charlie. Charlie figures out, “I have already begun to notice signs of emotional instability and forgetfulness, the first symptoms of the burnout(Keyes 205). Charlie knows that this is happening to him, but he may not die from it. He knows he will deteriorate, but by how much is the

question.
Charlie Gordon should have opted out of this surgery. It ends up killing him. He had to take a risk. The surgery does work, but it ultimately makes his brain stretch out so much that he cannot handle an IQ of 68. Intelligence is hard to alter. Surgery cannot fix everything.