Charlie's Operation In Daniel Keyes Flowers For Algernon

“Even a feeble-minded man wants to be like other men.” This is the situation for the main character in Daniel Keyes’ science fiction short story, “Flowers for Algernon”. Charlie Gordon, a man with an I.Q. score of 68, wants to be smart like everyone else. When he is selected for an operation that can triple his I.Q., Charlie is happy to be Dr. Nemur’s and Dr. Strauss’ test subject. Despite the risks, Charlie Gordon has his intelligence increased, but later suffers from deterioration of his intelligence, amnesia, and senility. Since Charlie was mentally handicapped and naive, should he had been chosen to get the operation with the known risks? After the multiple benefits he has gained from the operation, Charlie should have had the surgery as

Nemur, Dr. Strauss, and even Charlie himself. Charlie realizes what an impact Algernon, a white mouse who had the same operation, and he had on the world of science. He notes, “Algernon and I were presented to the American Psychological Association sitting in convention with the World Psychological Association last Tuesday. We created quite a sensation. Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss were proud of us.” (Keyes 297). Charlie and Algernon were the first of their kind tested with the operation and they provided hope and wonder for other simple-minded people. In a drastic turn, the end results of the operation were Algernon develops amnesia and later dies. This leads the reader to presume the later death of Charlie. Even though they ended up dying, Charlie’s self-examination research helped science by proving that the operation’s effects were temporary. Charlie’s hypothesis claims, “Artificially increased intelligence deteriorates at a rate of time proportional to the quantity of the increase. I feel that is, in itself, an important discovery.” (Keyes 302). Charlie thinks that, despite his demise, his self-examination is a significant discovery. Ultimately, without the surgery, Charlie would not have been able to benefit science without Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss’s decision to have Charlie as a test

At the beginning of the story Charlie was mentally handicapped with an I.Q. of 68, but he wanted to be smart. Charlie confesses his dream in one of his earlier progress reports, “Miss Kinnian says maybe they can make me smart. I want to be smart.” (Keyes 285). If Charlie never had the surgery, his life and knowledge would be limited. He would not have a chance to have a better job, date, or have the maturity of others his age. Some might say that even though Charlie got his dream, he surpassed everyone’s intelligence causing him to be a lonely outcast. Ultimately, towards the peak of his intelligence, Charlie spent his time reading and kept his mind occupied with many things around him. Charlie shares his thoughts, “Thank God for books and music and things I can think about.” (Keyes 298). Some people spend their day, like Charlie, reading and keeping their mind active. Being outcasted doesn’t necessarily mean Charlie was miserable or unhappy with his choice to have the operation. Foremost, with the surgery, Charlie achieved his dream of