Daniel Keyes 's science fiction story “Flowers for Algernon” is about a mentally retarded man named Charlie Gordon. Throughout life he hasn 't always been the smart one. He wants to change that, and by doing this he wants to do an operation that will expand his learning and his IQ will triple. Charlie met a mouse named Algernon, Algernon is going through this experiment as well. Charlie 's relationship with Algernon isn 't the best, Charlie 's hated him so much because Algernon kept winning in the test the doctors did with them. Later on being, two best friends. Going through this with him was his “friends” Frank and Joe. Them two have always treated Charlie with such disrespect because them two would always pull jokes on him call him names but Charlie never noticed. Luckily he also had good people around him during this time like Miss.Kinnian. She was charlie 's teachers and became Charlie 's best friends and later in the story Charlie realizes, he likes Miss.Kinnian. This story mostly focuses on how friendships or any relationship can change and how one 's person 's feelings can change over time.

One theme that emerged in the text is Friendships can change over time. In “Flowers for Algernon” Charlies says “I 'm in love with Miss.Kinnian!” on pg.234. This shows us that Charlie 's relationship with Miss.Kinnian means more to Charlie than Miss.Kinnian wants to believe. Also with with another relationship that Charlie has been with his “friends”. Charlie has 2 “friends”