“It is our choices... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” The short story “Flowers for Algernon” is about a man by the name of Charlie Gordon. Charlie has a learning disability, so he enters a program and has surgery to make him smarter. Unfortunately, the effects of the surgery do not last forever. Due to the events of the story, it can be assumed that the theme in “Flowers for Algernon” is people bullying others to make themselves feel better. The theme is first illustrated when Charlie is leaving a restaurant after having dinner and a busboy, who seems to have the same issues as Charlie, drops plates on the ground, saying, “How strange it is that people of honest feelings and sensibility, who would not take advantage of a man born without arms, legs, or eyes—how such people think nothing of abusing a man with low intelligence.” (slide 49). Another quote from the same situation that also portrays the theme is, “Only a short time ago, I learned that people laughed at me.” (slide 50). Charlie seems to be very disappointed with the people at the restaurant and with the people who treated him horribly. …show more content…
A quote that shows this is "I never knew before that Joe and Frank and the others liked to have me around just to make fun of me. Now I know what they mean when they say "to pull a Charlie Gordon". I'm ashamed of myself." slide 32. Another quote from the same situation that also portrays the theme is, “I didn't know what to do or where to turn. Everyone was looking at me and laughing, and I felt naked.” It is extremely clear that Charlie feels hurt and betrayed by the people he called
Charlie’s character transition is an evidence of the saying, “Walk a mile in my shoes. See what I see, hear what I hear, feel what I feel, then maybe you’ll understand why I do what I do. Until then don’t judge me.” His journey with Kanalaaq showed him how important it is for people not to judge other for superficial
Duncan Schaffer and Lorraine Quarrles represent all that wrong with Charlie's life. Charlie attempts to steam forward and like a anchor they keep him moored in place. I can not truly sympathize with Charlie though there is a sense of empathy within me. I sense that with Lincoln Peters also.
One of the most important elements of this scene, which can be overlooked, is the setting. An unpleasant confrontation between the protagonist and antagonist takes place inside a bar of all places. This scene is crucial because it is the first time we are completely taken into Uncle Charlie’s world. The bar acts as a liminal space for the audience to enter into his personality. It is also the first time the two main characters have a confrontation about Uncle Charlie's dark life. It should be noted that until this point most of the scenes between the Charlies have been in domestic and safe places. The bar is a complete contrast to Santa Rosa’s all-American values and standards. The director most likely set this conversation in a bar because of the negative connotations that are associated with such a place, which perfectly match the personality of Uncle Charlie. The setting also underlies the menacing nature of the conversation between the Charlies. Just as the setting is importan...
Algernon is a mouse. He's a special mouse, Charlie Gordon is told, and it must be true, because whenever Charlie and Algernon run a race (Algernon is in a real maze; Charlie has a pencil-and-paper version), Algernon wins. How did that mouse get to be so special, Charlie wonders? The answer is that Algernon's IQ has been tripled by an experimental surgical procedure.
For Charlie, Ignorance is bliss. He realizes that his so called ? friends? were just using him to entertain their perverse humor. Also, he was also fired from the job that he loved so much because his new intelligence made those around him feel inferior and scared.
Many popular novels are often converted into television movies. The brilliant fiction novel, Flowers for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes, was developed into a dramatic television film. Flowers for Algernon is about a mentally retarded man who is given the opportunity to become intelligent through the advancements of medical science. This emotionally touching novel was adapted to television so it could appeal to a wider, more general audience. Although the novel and film are similar in terms of plot and theme, they are different in terms of characters.
“Flowers for Algernon” is about a man named Charlie Gordon who is mentally retarded. Charlie signs up for an experiment that is supposed to make him smarter. He wants to be like every one else. To do the experiment he has to keep a journal showing his progress. Charlie starts out spelling almost every word wrong. Charlie’s family and friends have all made fun of him; his parents gave him to his uncle when he was ten.
Early in the book, Joe Carp and Frank Reilly invite Charlie to a party and let him dance with a girl there. In Charlie’s progress report, he writes, “They laughed harder every time I fell, and I was laughing too because it was so funny. But the last time it happened I didn’t laugh.” He continues to explain that Joe pushed him down again, and he told the attendees about how he had once left him stranded when he asked him to check it if was raining around a corner (Keyes 39). This was one of the first times Charlie realized how badly he was treated, as he normally thought of it all as a joke. He sees that his intelligence was what differed him from everyone and was the reason he was often made fun of. He comes to this realization after his surgery, and it leads to him understanding that people are cruel to others that have a low intelligence. In his next progress report, he writes, “People think it’s funny when a dumb person can’t do things the same way they can” (Keyes 40). Charlie sees that he was taken advantage of and made fun of his entire life, and just because of his mental capabilities. His intelligence is one thing Charlie realizes can set people apart from others; later, he sees that it can happen to anyone who is not
When was the last time you wanted something so much, you would sacrifice your life to have it; even if just for a moment? Charlie Gordon, a 37 year old man with a learning disability, did just that. In the story "Flowers for Algernon", by Daniel Keyes, Charlie gets a chance to alter his I.Q. substantially through operation. The only drawback to this is, the long-term outcomes of the operation are unknown. The operation does succeed, but later Charlie is sent on a riveting downward spiral into the life he tried to run away from. The operation hurt Charlie in every imaginable way; and did nothing to help him.
In society, many individuals attempt to change their appearance or personality for the benefit of others or to improve their own self worth. Ultimately, these changes have the ability to boost one’s self esteem. In Daniel Keys’s Flowers For Algernon, Charlie Gordon undergoes surgery to increase his intelligence. Even though his intelligence is not a permanent transformation, it allows him to become more aware about his own life. Charlie’s transformation is ethical and therefore the result is worth the attempt.
“Flowers for Algernon, first published in 1959, is considered a landmark work on both science fiction and disability literature,” (Werlock 2009). The American Library Association reports that this novel was banned as an obscene for its love scenes. When the main character, Charlie Gordon, increases his IQ from 68 to a level that makes him a genius (after received experimental brain surgery), his maturity leads him to fall in love with his teacher, and a sexual encounter ensues. This caused Flowers for Algernon to be banned and challenged in many places (Plant City, Florida- 1976, Emporium, Pennsylvania- 1977, Oberlin High School (Ohio) - 1983, among others). Most people consider the sexual scenes fairly mild, but there are those who consider any mention of sexual behavior inappropriate for teens or pre-teens, hence the attempts at censorship. Many of the challenges have proved unsuccessful, but the book has occasionally been banned from school libraries including some in Pennsylvania and Texas. Flowers for Algernon has won numerous awards, even for the film, and it is regularly taught in schools around the world; therefore, it should remain on shelves.
Relationships between people are important to maintain. During one’s lifetime, these relationships will change for the better or worse. In the novel, Flowers for Algernon, the author, Daniel Keyes, presents a change in the main character’s relationship with many people. Charlie Gordon, a 32 years old man who is mentally disabled takes the risk of undergoing a surgery that will make him intelligent. As Charlie’s intelligence increases, he finds out a lot about himself and becomes a different person. He learns the meaning of love, and experiences this newfound feeling with Alice Kinnian. Charlie’s teacher at Beekman College for Retarded Adults, Miss Kinnian, is one of the only people who is concerned and genuinely cares about him. When they part
On page 285, he says, “I had my rabbits foot in my pockit” we learn that he is very gullible since the beginning; he says “I spilled ink too”, shows us that he has no ability to think ideally. Also, “I’m a slow reeder too in Miss Kinnians class for slow adults but I’m trying very hard” shows that Charlie wants to be smart. Charlie says on page 286, “Maybe white mice are smarter than other mice.” This line shows us that he is aware that there are different levels of intelligence.
Undoubtedly, Charlie Gordon should not have received the experimental surgery! While Daniel Keyes in “Flowers for Algernon” portrayed hope of a mentally impaired man, Charlie Gordon, the operation failed with devastating consequences! Charlie encountered societal complications that he was subconscious about prior to the surgery. Since Charlie was intellectually debilitated, the doctors ultimately used him to experiment on to be able to repair other humans that were similar to him. Once Charlie became a brilliant man, he understood the tragic results of the surgery.
As stated in the introduction, Charlie loves to write. Charlie will write about any topic he wants to talk about for that day or week. In Charlie’s life, he has had many good and bad encounters. Some bad encounters include the death of his aunt Helen, troubles within being close to members of his family, and specifically not being happy