Charlie Gordon The Progress Report Quotes

“Intelligence is one of the greatest human gifts. But all too often a search for knowledge drives out the search for love. This is something else I've discovered for myself very recently. I present it to you as a hypothesis: Intelligence without the ability to give and receive affection leads to mental and moral breakdown, to neurosis, and possibly even psychosis. And I say that the mind absorbed in and involved in itself as a self-centered end, to the exclusion of human relationships, can only lead to violence and pain(page 200).” This impactful quote is from one of the Progress Reports by the protagonist—Charlie Gordon. Charlie is a mentally challenged, middle-aged man who is apart of an early experimental operation to boost his intelligence.

As Charlie grew as a character, he began to realize that intelligence, though valued greatly by society, does not give him true happiness. Daniel Keyes uses the characterization of Charlie Gordon to provoke a social commentary on what society values, and what it should value, intelligence and emotion respectively, through Progress Reports.

Early in the novel, Charlie places intelligence on a high pedestal and thought that was the only way to truly be happy and accepted by society. In his Progress Reports he believes that the

Subramanian 2 ability to read and write is the path to success. There is this stigma set in his mind that, “If your smart you can have lots of frends to talk to and you never get lonley by yourself all the time(page 11)." Before his operation, Charlie had the fantasy that society would accept him if he was smarter and that he would not be ostracized. Although, it is not explicitly

He says himself, “I don’t know what’s worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you’ve always wanted to be, and feel alone(page 117).” With his intelligence, he was unable to form emotional connections with those around him like Alice, one of his only true friends. This strained his relationship with her and ultimately led the two to go on their own separate paths. Daniel Keyes is known to be quoted for saying, “There are a lot of people who will give money or materials, but very few who will give time and affection(Goodreads).” This can be directly implemented in the novel, as intelligence could be given to Charlie, but no experiment can make Charlie feel loved. By the end of the novel, Charlie realizes that there is more to life and that feeling a connection with someone else is truly what was important to him, not being smarter. Keyes connects this to how our own society should function. He believes that we should shy away from the societal norms and build a society based on love and affection. He broadcasts this through the novel, as Charlie felt loved and was quite happy without all the intelligence. In contrast, after he became smarter, he struggled to find himself and ironically alienated himself from the rest of society. Contrary to popular belief, those who are brilliant don’t always live the happiest lives. Keyes wants to show us a new perspective on how society should