Why Is Flowers For Algernon Banned

To ban a book means to prohibit educational facilities from accessing or selling the book due to the inappropriate context or misleading moral values. A book can be banned or challenged by including explicit scenes, words, or context. People tend to ban books based off of their perception of what “dangerous thoughts” may occur within the work. (Brown) For example, the famous nursery rhyme, Mother Goose, has been banned in multiple locations because she “lives in a shoe with her brood.” (Brown) Flowers for Algernon was banned in Emporium, PA; Oberlin, OH; Glen Rose, AR; Glenrock, WY; and Plant City, FL due to sexually explicit passages and language. I do not agree that the novel should be banned or challenged based on these allegations.

Banning a book takes a person’s rights away that have already banned guaranteed by the First Amendment. Congress can not make any laws that interfere with an individual’s rights. The First Amendment “protects an individual’s

rights” (The First Amendment) to freedom, religion , and the press. These rights that are guaranteed to the American people are considered the “core of the American concept of civil liberty.” (The First Amendment)

Flowers for Algernon was banned due to the sexual explicitness and the religious views. Although the novel is not fully based on the sexual content, most of the attention is focused on the issue that “Charlie is sexually repressed” (Small) due to being abused as a child. The “tame sexual encounters” (Small) with Fay Lillman and Alice Kinnian would cause a person to challenge or ban the book. Also, the controversy about religion would contribute to someone trying to ban the novel. Science changed Charlie into something God did not intend him to be, therefore “tampering with God’s will” (Keyes). There is no evidence of Daniel Keyes, author of Flowers for Algernon, defending his book againsting being challenged or banned. Keyes wondered if it was possible to artificially increase the intelligence of an individual. The thought of Charlie Gordon came to him after he ran into a “retarded” (Smith) young boy. He then thought how incredible it would be if the world really had the technology to increase an individual’s intelligence. Keyes admits that Charlie Gordon is not based on any real person, but based on multiple personalities and even a little bit of Keyes himself. Keyes has not written any other controversial novels, and he has not responded to the controversy around his book.

One example of a scene that has caused some controversy is when Charlie Gordon has a sexual encounter with Fay Lillman. After moving to New York to escape Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur Charlie meets his neighbor, Fay. In order to kiss and engage physically with Alice Kinnian, Charlie has to trick himself into thinking that Alice is Fay Lillman. He has to do so in order to not choke up and get nervous. While being unable to trick himself, he feels guilty for trying to use Alice in an emotional experiment. Charlie decides to go home and wait for Fay’s return from her dance class. When she does arrive, Charlie becomes “sexually aggressive” (Keyes) and they make love. Charlie senses that the “other less intelligent Charlie” (Keyes) is watching, but he does not panick. Charlie and Fay begin having an “affair” (Keyes), and Charlie forgets about the “other less intelligent Charlie” (Keyes). Another controversial scene includes the sexual encounter Charlie Gordon has with Alice Kinnian. Charlie claims that there is “no doubt... [he is] in love” (Keyes 94) with Alice. She is his teacher at a special school for “retarded adults” (Keyes). Alice is always taking care of Charlie and making sure he is getting everything that he needs. While Charlie’s intelligence is deteriorating, Alice decides to stay with Charlie and spend as much time with him as possible before he “returns to normal” (Keyes). Charlie makes love to Alice Kinnian for first time without getting nervous. It is a” transcendent [and] spiritual experience” (Keyes), unlike the purely physical sex Charlie encountered with Fay. Finally, the last scene that has caused controversy about the novel is the procedure itself. Dr. Strauss and Dr.

Nemur perform an experimental procedure on Charlie to see if his intelligence would increase artificially.The controversy lies with the fact that Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur are “tampering with God’s will” (Keyes) and turning Charlie into something that God did not intend him to be. They are unsure about long term effects, but Algernon, the experimental mouse, seemed to be okay and showing no signs of deterioration yet. These specific scenes are important because they show the growth of Charlie Gordon throughout the novel. Before the surgery Charlie could not handle a serious relationship , but afterwards he was having sexual relations with two women.
Flowers for Algernon should not be banned or challenged.

I thought the book was very well written and the controversial parts of the novel gave specific characteristics to Charlie Gordon. I also believe Daniel Keyes accomplished what he set out to achieve regarding the plot of the novel. He shows the difference of Charlie’s social life before and after his procedure. The explicit sex scenes show Charlie’s growth as a character. The novel, Flowers for Algernon, should not be currently banned in high schools or community libraries. High schoolers and people willing to read the graphic novel should be mature enough to handle sex scenes within a book. Also, the First Amendment allows freedom of speech, so Daniel Keyes has the right to talk about or include religious context in his book. The bible is not banned for talking about religion, so why should Flowers for Algernon be banned for the same context? I believe that banning or challenging a book is a way to shield the eyes of the world from the

truth.