Charlie Gordon's Flowers For Algernon

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What if it was possible to triple human intelligence by surgical means? This is the question that Daniel Keys answers in the story “Flowers for Algernon.” Charlie Gordon, the main character in this story, is a thirty-two-year-old male with an IQ of 68. Charlie is frustrated with himself, as he strives to be smarter and do anything that could achieve his goal. He's very dedicated, and his teacher Miss Kinnean, recommends him to a couple of doctors named Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss. Their goal is to triple Charlie's IQ and compare him to a rat who undergoes the same surgery. Charlie survives the dangerous surgery and gradually gets smarter without realizing it. Eventually, he achieved his lifelong goal and became a genius. Throughout his journal entries, his language gets to a point where you can't understand him. He learns how to love and know the true emotions of himself and others. Although the surgery was a success, Algernon's fast deterioration of his brain and his ultimate death, showed what was bound to happen to Charlie. He slowly loses his sense of reality as he …show more content…

Ignoring the fact that this surgery was dangerous, the psychological effects on Charlie were detrimental. Was it worth it for the short time of his intelligence, only to lose it just as fast? Charlie at the end of the story doesn't benefit from the surgery because he realizes his friends make fun of him and then he ends up completely isolated and feeling incredibly lonely. He also broke Miss Kinnasen's heart, as he had to be wise enough to do it intentionally. Going through all this had to be depressing, as he achieved his goal but knew that his days of smartness were numbered. He didn't want to be taken care of, and by the end of the story he became hostile and angry at the world, and himself. Eventually, when he fully loses his old intelligence, he doesn't turn hostile and strives to get smarter and have a better

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