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Flowers For Algernon By Daniel Keyes

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By the words of Albert Camus, “Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.” Authors have the power to develop a strong emotional connection between their readers and the character that they created. This connection allows for readers to feel sympathy towards untrue characters as they journey through life. The hardships that the author puts their character through relate to our own lives and can help us understand the truths about human nature. Their false experiences can be used to convey true lessons about life that are useful for everybody. These lessons are represented by specific writing techniques that all effective authors implement. Daniel Keyes is one of these authors. In his book Flowers for Algernon, Keyes utilizes a variety …show more content…

Keyes uses both characterization and conflict to prove that identity comes from experiences and what makes people who they are is constantly shifting as people change and grow. Throughout the entire story, as Charlie gains intelligence, he is constantly learning who he is as a person as he experiences a conflict with himself. He talks about this man vs. self conflict when he says, “Solitude gives me a chance to read and think, and now that the memories are coming through again—to rediscover my past, to find out who and what I really am”(172). This example of conflict supports the theme because it proves that he is struggling to discover who he really is as his past memories come back to haunt him. The characterization of Charlie conveys that he is very dynamic and that how he solves his problems determines who he is. This is proven …show more content…

Keyes uses syntax very creatively to show Charlie's innocence and longing to be smart at the beginning of the book so he can be happy. Before Charlie becomes smart, he speaks about his desires, saying, “I tolld him because all my life i wantid to be smart and not dumb and my mom always tolld me to try and lern just like Miss Kinnian tells me but its very hard to be smart and even when i lern something in Miss Kinnians class at the school I ferget alot” (4). Charlie felt that he would be happier in life if he was smarter and that his relationships would grow to be stronger. After his surgery, Charlie is faced with an ironic truth that he was not expecting. He recognizes, “Ironic that all my intelligence does to help me solve a problem like this” (89). Keyes implies that Charlie realizes intelligence alone can not make you happy and that Charlie’s original assumption that being smart would solve all of his problems was incorrect. The book is resolved by showing that Charlie is at peace with the level of happiness and intelligence that he has and is happier than he has ever been. Once he loses his intelligence, he says, “ I’m glad I got a second chance in life like you said to be smart because I learned a lot of things that I never even knew were in this world and I’m grateful I saw it even for a little bit. And I’m glad I found out all about my family

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831 Words | 4 Pages

In his final entry, a farewell letter to Miss Kinnian and Dr. Strauss he states “If you ever reed this Miss Kinnian dont be sorry for me Im glad I got a second chanse to be smart becaus I lerned a lot of things that I never even new were in this world and Im grateful that I saw it all for a little bit {sic},” (Keyes 28). Even with all the agony that came with his experiment, from both the rejection of his friends and from his depressing loss of the knowledge he gained, Charlie thinks it was still worth it. Instead of being bitter he returns to the optimistic person in the beginning who believed he could turn smart if he worked hard enough. Charlie wasn’t spiteful to the scientists who performed the surgery or hostile to Miss Kinnian who recommended him for the surgery because of his optimism. He always wanted to be smart and he got his wish.

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293 Words | 2 Pages

1. Charlie doesn’t feel like he belongs ever. Either he is not smart enough or too smart. There is never a happy medium with society. When he can tell he obviously is different it makes it harder when everyone points it out.

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658 Words | 3 Pages

His intelligence came with a price that made him rethink his entire situation. Charlie was happier with an IQ of 68 because he was oblivious to what was going on around him, people would treat him differently after the surgery, and he struggled with his identity. Charlie was happier when he was oblivious to what was going on around him. Being oblivious and ignorant is not a good thing, but in Charlie's case, not knowing

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959 Words | 4 Pages

Will the same happen to Charlie? Through the novel Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes demonstrates that despite the obstacles and hardships, hope drives that person to continue doing things through Charlie’s journey to increasing intelligence, Algernon’s decline, and Charlie’s decline at the close of the novel. Initially, Keyes utilizes Charlie’s motivation for going through with increasing intelligence to illustrate that hope drives those who might otherwise give up due to the obstacles and hardships. For example, Charlie, the disabled adult, while he conveys his hope to increasing intelligence, simply states, “I dont care so much about beeing famus. I just want to be smart like other pepul so I can have lots of frends who like me” (Keyes 13).

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718 Words | 3 Pages

But when Charlie got the surgery, he realized when his intelligence was wearing off, he got super depressed but he powered through the depression. One quote from the book that indicates depression is “please... please let me not forget how to read and write.” (keyes 25). Even though he is forgetting how to read and write and he is getting depressed, he powers through the depression. On the last page he says “im taking a cuple of books along and even if i cant reed them ill practise hard and maybe i wont forget every thing i learned.

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(Keyes 19). This shows a huge increase of knowledge from Charlie. But as the story goes on, we see Charlie himself drastically changing. There is a decrease mistakes in grammar and more sophisticated language is used. Which was caused by his desperate to be intelligent that illustrates how he perseveres through the whole experiment.

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494 Words | 2 Pages

After the operation Charlie gained intelligence,specifically his spelling, beating Algernon in the maze, and his ways of using his imagination. The first example of Charlie’s intelligence increasing is because his spelling and grammar improved. Specifically, throughout the story Charlie learns how to spell at a rapid pace. In the April 18 entry, Charlie states “I read over all my old progress reports from the beginning.

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897 Words | 4 Pages

  In addition, Charlie writes in “progris riport 1- martch 5 1965”, ” Miss Kinnian says maybe they can make me smart. I want to be smart,” page 182.   This quote reveals that Charlie is motivated and determined because because he has the want to be intelligent as he explains in his first “progris riport.”

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He became too intelligent to find simple pleasures in life, which gave him joy in the past. Charlie’s intelligence has robbed him of his capacity to enjoy life and the beauty in simple

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619 Words | 3 Pages

While some may argue that Charlie ended his journey with no regrets. Keys uses different elements such as Charlie’s emotional and social struggles, his hypothesis around the Algernon Gordon effect, and his motherly connection to his teacher, or potential love interest, Mrs. Kinnian. Keys uses the idea of Charlie’s severe lack of emotional and social intelligence to further prove the theme of how increased intelligence can lead to disadvantages and an imbalance that leads to overcompensation of the logical area of the brain. One example of this is when Keys writes, “The answer can't be found in books - or be solved by bringing it to other people. Not unless you want to remain a child all your

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1098 Words | 5 Pages

One negative aspect that Charlie experiences when he becomes smart is that everyone is afraid of him. An example of this can be seen in the text when Charlie comes back to work and is smart and everyone is frightened of him because of his increase of intelligence. Everyone is so shocked that Charlie is so smart now that they’re scared of him. “Everybody seems to be frightened of me. When I went over to Amos Borg and tapped him on the shoulder, he jumped up in the air.

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237 Words | 1 Pages

This was because sadly, he was mentally challenged. He had difficulty spelling, writing, and even problem solving. Charlie never considered himself smart, but never considered himself brainless either. He also knew he could become smarter,

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947 Words | 4 Pages

Starting with how Matt, Charlie's father, accepts his low intelligence, "That's not true! But I realize there's nothing we can do. When you've got a child like him it's a cross, and you bear it, and love it. Well, I can bear him, but I can't stand your foolish ways. You've spent almost all our savings on quacks and phonies-money I could have used to set me up in a nice business of my own.”

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576 Words | 3 Pages

Was Charlie Better Off Before or After the Surgery? In “Flowers for Algernon,” Daniel Keyes wrote that Charlie Gordon has an IQ of 68, and is in Mrs. Kinnian’s night class for slow adults. Charlie may be dumb, but he was so happy before the surgery and he had a job and “friends.” The reason that Charlie Gordon was better off before the surgery is because he had the motivation to become smart, and after the surgery he becomes depressed and realizes that the world plus the people in it are cruel.

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888 Words | 4 Pages

Charlie also made it very clear that the surgery made him feel extremely awful and that he should not have had the surgery. If Charlie had the knowledge forever the surgery would be a success During the story, Charlie believes being smart is very important, but understands the surgery does not permanent results, but when he figures out that he will lose this which causes him distress. When Charlie says ‘Oh god, please don 't take it all away '(Keyes 23). The quote explains why he should not have had surgery if he is going to forget it all in the end because he might be depressed for the rest of his life because of the fact that it is not permanent.

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