Charlie Gordon In Daniel Keyes Flowers For Algernon

In the novel, “Flowers for Algernon '' written by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon is a character who undergoes a dramatic transformation from a mentally challenged individual to a highly intelligent one. He is given an opportunity to undergo a procedure that will be able to make him become smarter, momentarily. Charlie logs his day and his emotions through progress reports going through his transformation and regression. Throughout the novel, Charlie’s journey in his increase and decrease in his intelligence is fraught with challenges, setbacks, and disappointments, however he ultimately exhibits a pivotal character trait, determination by showing his will power to push through them and achieve his end goal. Initially, Charlie shows his determination

Although he is aware of the potential dangers and risks of the surgery, he is willing to go through the surgery because he believes that the benefits of the surgery far outweigh the risks and he wants to reach his goal, getting smarter and having a lot of friends. Another showcase of his determination is how he persists in his studies, determined to master the new knowledge that he has acquired as his IQ slowly increases. Charlie writes, “...from now on Ill look up all the words Im not sure how to spell”(Keyes 39). He works hard to master grammar and he takes the action to look up words he does not know, all showing his will power to reach his goal of becoming smarter and having a lot of friends. Finally, he shows determination as he regresses back to his original state. Charlie writes in his report, “...if I kept on reading and learning new things, even while I was forgetting the old ones, I would be able to keep some of my intelligence…keep moving upward no matter what happened”(Keyes 301). Even when Charlie finds it very difficult to remember and keep his knowledge, he still tries to be educated and keep on